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ORIENTALEXPLORATIONS AND STUDIES No. 6 


THE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 
Ouro ane 
RWALA BEDOUINS 


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AMERICAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY 
ORIENTAL EXPLORATIONS AND STUDIES No. 6. 
Edited by J. K. WRIGHT 


EGE 


MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 
OF THE 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


BY 


PEO SSE OLE 


Professor of Oriental Studies 


Charles University, Prague 


Published under the Patronage of the 
CZECH ACADEMY: OF SCIENCES AND ARTS 
and of 


CUARKEES Ro CRANE 


NEW wORK 
|e ae? re) 


TQ 
TOMAS GARRIGUE MASARYK 


FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE CZECHOSLOVAK REPUBLIC 
WHO FOR MANY YEARS GAVE ME SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT 
IN MY EXPLORATIONS AND STUDIES 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER PAGE 
eee ee er rete Degen ey eee Tr Pe et xi 
I THE HEAVENLY BODIES AND THE WEATHER........ 3 
PSH ONIGe NLOOI Tit ae ar en eo ea cents meet od Se ea I 
Clouds*and Rain. "...... dpe oie Re Ry Se ir eee oP OE DE PO 5 
Pemeeie Parla Any <P evlOUS? stor sec, ek Gee ole Sia Sete i 
RETOOL NO aie er ee ont a akN Coreen atk ee 10 
Perec. oOo. Abundance’ and Want vio. co eR er ee, 13 

Hot and Cold Weather; Dews; Winds; Fogs; Mirages; 
REE COTINS ss Ce ce Nok pe a ee Mt ene Bere ee 17 
LRT AIG ELS I TSS I a laa ME a i i nN a Sa a 20 
PETA ATT E. ees  h eet as Na ee als eee awe. 20 
ne sarcey ierbivorous Animals. <i0.. sob ane ae ees a 
Pe PPO rte eae et ere ee Pah te Bale 2 eae at 
COO Vt ee Ae tek crm es rom ha oer y's 31 
Meare mre a COTY tak oo lens Orn cs Me hen ek OE cle 31 
Pre ArHIVOroUn Dire oy Gal oe) enue ake Cat eee aan 35 
Meee vOrousy DITUS nw svt eos ee ot rage epee 37 
Pema terme User yin ns cuir RN in coe ge iy bap Mo Rig 41 
Pineal re oe Uae re oe ea OMe peer, te ata os Ae te 43 
more er ty OP em OG LR Ye ee ane a ene cao 44 
Peet ere LOMAS Th, eee rr Ie eer a a Nets Te 44 
PGC OAS AION SED oe oc rh ie ne apie Ue gr ae 46 
ETL cE R ee Chen oe RIL eS nat, Mey can a ane ek oP 46 
Eee re tan ink ohh Cee Se eae ee YTS Ga 47 
Lo TED ge Cc PI es i sane ote pha ilk races et oa acres ar Ga aie AR Oe Re 50 
Traditions Concerning the Rwala Chiefs........... Bh) ana 
PUTISIN UIT eDEN CHE TAU Go cca tee ree a he ee tae ee gia 58 
Peet TaN? AND ITS-FURNISHINGS 3s. Cite a oe ce ee 61 
rie OCONstrucuion: OL: the “Tentijn tikes. blu we ne oak ew 61 
Furnishings of the Men’s Compartment; the Fireplace.... 64 
Furnishings of the Women’s Compartment ............... 66 
Prcerai CEE AISTOTLALION LO“ LONGS se. Oe Pitan s eine comiek 72 
ATT TO’ CV OUTS 0) 25 he PO Rouen Siete oes MI Mae: Sie RIS 76 
Poems Relating to Camping Grounds .................. 78 
ERE) LD yer 91 Sa okay eta OBER, SN BR oti, A Re Ne Soo. ie Et ST 86 
Milkeand $M ethodst ofeProcuringa: LG". fc. ae 87 
WHEAT sana Others Giaine tee stash ea wt tes rent I, ete dala! OM 
Locusts, Dates, Salt, Water, Edible Plants ............... 93 
DVL SELEY be coh MORI TTI Rene nee Tete RR at RRO Es. Seige gy ce aes 96 


v1 RWALA BEDOUINS 


CHAPTER . PAGE 
V FOOD (continued) 

Meals i. 5 Sieg ed he i Ea nae spews owt es el ogy a 97 

Coffee. and its Preparation: . 0.0. «4505 oe 100 

Poems. Relating. to. Coffee. .22. ..)..2 ee 102 

VI DRESS AND WEAPONS |e. cabo ci 115 

The Beard and Hair; Tattooing; Body Beltsiu. ee 115 

Men’s Clothes: wc. ele eS Oe ie i ie 118 

Women’s: Glothes,.0.4 066.25 Se eee ee AZZ, 
Peddlers; Care for Personal Appearance; Infants; Staffs 

and: Canes! (eae eat bl ae ie De eee 125 

Smoking’ Pipes 72 6 ee a sd ac 127 

Poems Relating -to Smoking®. ....%. 2.2... ee ee 128 

Weapons | ol ci. ne Wildgag pela Be Ngee neat ie 1381 

Care of the Person 9... Sic 5 Av epene cok mk 134 

VII MARRIAGE CUSTOMS: 2)... pO a kn ee 135 

Limitations on the Choice of ‘a Wife...;. 7. ie3 eee 136 

Rights: of the. Eben al-Amm).. 2.42) ee 137 

Love Ditties and Poems. 2.0.40 2.5 pe cee eee 140 

In Praise of Lovers; the Delights of Love ............. 140 

In Praise of a Sweetheart’s Kinsmen 03.5020 152 

Meetings, Greetings, Good Wishes...................--.- 155 

Lovers’ Parting; Sorrows of Separation; Pain of Love.. 159 

Laments for Lost. .and-Dead overs. 2.7. 3.23 eee 186 

Elopements....... eee ya « baoacg wi: Sat sas ale cr 199 

Treachery in Love... =)... de. Stes eo 201 

Lovers’ Quarrels ..00 50 pi soak ee. aah 205 

Unrequited and Thwarted Love ...272.2., 023) sane 208 

Diffieulties Due to. Kinsmen ..<..... 4.0.5.0 ee AW 

Rivalry in Love. 05 <4 <ealsaiels = = rete ase 8 ee avait 

The Wedding . oo. i Vad ee bie oe ene 228 

Plurality. of. Wives-.25. 235. 2 ee ee 230 

Treatment and Duties. of: Women..:...—. 22 eeeeee 231 

DEVOR CO isis he ei ap ed eae | cet ge ee 282 

Penalties: for Unchastity: “9 Wie cu 239 

Character of Bedouin Women 10.20. @. 2. sae 241 

VIII: CHIGDREN (0.5 5 ad Se a 243 

Birth and .Naming of Children:..... 4... 2.2 eee 243 

Circumcision Ceremonies:io.4 .22. «sas 2 oe 244 

Ditties Sung and Circumcision Ceremonies ............. 246 

Raising of Childrens. .i..c..5% 2a. 3. oot lee 255 

Boys’ Games. vee oc oe ee ee 8 oa soe ieee 9h 256 

Ditties. Sung iby. Girls 55.202 oe Se 258 

IX STRANGERS’ IN THE CAMP 2.2.22...) eee 267 

Neighbors or Kusar@ oo... sete «es ee 267 

Wandering Petty Merchants or Kubejsat................. 269 


Poems Relating to Kusara’ and Kubejsat................. 270 


CONTENTS vil 


CHAPTER PAGE 
IX STRANGERS IN THE CAMP (continued) 

ee me Bice RR ire Sa th oP aa pete ey ce tis 276 
Wholesale Merchants and their Agents, the ‘Akejl........ 278 
bes a ANB ate, Vaile ecto lanl yeaa) bars THE Id ig sede wg Dts 281 
Pe eh re cd Se ogee el Soe wee Oe Tee a er 283 
Poetand Poetical COMpOSsitiON ).a.% 0s Geta be ee ek sie 283 
Seerrc re MIS COUT Te ORME A tar. | cet eee cou hes Ss a en a ee 285 
Lament of a Man Dogged by Misfortune............... 285 

A Slanderer is Warned to Make Sure of His Own Pater- 
minveperore. Kenvoaching OLNers <i: c. st «o's tye. ead a es 287 
Pee HMONOr TOL CHOs AU LOOT ts oem Ch ongnaae- fear. Hamre hele 289 
“Abdallah Answers Fejhan’s Reproaches................ 292 

‘Obejd Eben. Rasid Lies in Wait in a Ravine to Fight the 
a ee Sapo Wa Sk a ee We BG igh sy eae Ai, vtec: 300 
‘Abdallah Eben Rasid Bewails His Expulsion from Hajel... 302 
Lament of a Father for Two Sons Killed in Battle..... 304 
IneHonor of Muhammad When Rasid 2... 6,245.2 -4. 226.2. 306 
In Honor of Bender, Prince of the Sammar............ 309 

Muhammad Eben ‘Arfeg in al-Gowf Contemplates a Jour- 
Rr OmMCOM EA AGL it Samie pairs Pes. tng oh Sa Wed eens tan Sa ec art 309 

A Chief, Imprisoned by the Turks at Hama’, Anticipates 
Piece aerallon vy Une Keyl orgs. tee eo Mee fe pe ell 3 314 
A Chief Is Reproached for His Extortions.............. 315 

A Rebellious Leader Appealed to by the Poet to Make 
EeaCOr Wolclk eLis (NICE. 2a mest abded Ge ao, ey tu PIT ee 316 

An Anxious Father Sends a Message to His Two Sons 
Brena LNG bla weal etnies sc.rom eo a fee ae gs oe hr 318 
A Bedouin Yearns to Live in the Settled Country ...... 321 
Aoi: Vearns. Lonbe<a Bedouin on oie ives eee 323 


A Bedouin Warns the Slubi Against Changing His Vocation 324 
The Poet, Bitten by a Mad Dog and Abandoned by His 


Ria ements: t6.as rigid sa oa adak oc oe ae 326 

“ART SURES eA ae lege na ae eNO a, SOS ae Naa Re Ie tA Sa ong 327 
CCEA ACH NS SESS ea ae A ne ps WC DN ee OME WL Wet cay Sor 329 
Camels of Different, Aves and Kinds. vic. a. sesconiiss ss ee 330 
eT ITO O To AIIOLS 4.00 edi oe 4 acta ee eae hates! aa aie 336 
Mireering Gf Gammel Sine Sie mee. ary co a erat tant ele at, 3388 
Ditties Sung When Camels are Watered................ 340 

eC Geet ITI OLS roe geocaches oR Re Cie se og oe, 347 

Wane an. sess of CAmels. amen aie tina oh. eae ined ec ackin cs 348 
CMe MO AUCIES Fo 5 ck= sy te Wee eit te aa od keer ance seca ger aD 350 
Gamicteson. thie: Mareh tc. 6 sila eis uk tk en ed a Tr oe 3855 

pongs Kelatine, tor. Gamele Ab Cesc. te ec memantine c wee ar 358 
Drinking from. auCamel esPauiyc hie es ie ete a ge ee 368 
Wiseasesy of (Camels. 5.06 iain ee eae ae oars, me ach arma ect 368 

ANG aa UO UNA OP Sieh oe eae ed es ne Tee Aer POM ne Ine gaye he beset fey Be rte 3871 


x RWALA BEDOUINS 


CHAPTER PAGE 


XXI WAR AND PEACE (continued) 
Scorn of Fallen Chief’s Daughter for Kin Who Fail to 


Avengwe Him. 2: 1055.2 235.09. 5: +20: oe + 632 
Lament of Young Woman for Her Husband Killed in 
Battle ¢ 2c oS et ys bes ben) oe Oe 634 
Cowardice Reproached.: .-..).... 55.1.0) 20 ee 635 
Advice to a Chief. -so550 20 soe oe 635 
Anecdotes of Wars and Raids... 2.0... .. 5.) ee 637 
Stories of Wars and Raids Told by Blejhan eben Zeri..... 641 
XXII LAWS OF INHERITANCE 20. 20 si5 223 2 662 
XXIII DEATH AND AFTER DEATS 2.343) 666 
Diseases “and Wounds 230. oo sae oe ee nh 666 
Death 220s Sor bo Po ee ee 670 
Hell ‘and Paradise o. 22 3525 Sas ei en 674 


LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 
eset dea ar-Rwejli-. 2s. oe ae eek, frontispiece 
eee rec re? mother’. of; vain 6 00. in be es 13 
ETSI SUBS ATEN TSS: 60 a pag Rd i ne Ai ah Os gs a ik a 32 
eA IURMLOTU a oot os aye ys ek we Pe wes 63 
REN There ETON Wt rots cad Tw), 9 te Pte eset oe es ee es 63 
Peon. tent: driving in the: pees.-. 22.0.0. fee ce es 63 
Pocono en tent: driving in the pegs): 0.2.62. en 2. oe eas 65 
Boiewii eens centessettiie up the poles % 2... 2ip00-ae. hee cue es 65 
Picea vent: setting up the poles =....00 0.0.3. a bee e 65 
Piremeedatent: attaching the rear wall......5..2.. 222... .e00 es 67 
SCENE TOTS Se ha hc aa ar A eS ae SR 68 
iting ELEC ONCRT 1s sca (isis ee eg IES Ps RR ee Se ENR GY aR a am 70 
am LOT aaa ee Se ce ON OM acho, ws eo ibn oon Ae 70 
a er omer ape et lS ey ean ee een ors oie eS ets ral 
coc EVM saty 85 OSS Sie a cna anita Lg ea nL ey peek gee 74 
TREE eer Cee LL nee cb. AE ys oo es a Ne ee rues 
EM OT ee 0 ote Me eee rs 2 vind Ws ee ay te a 75 
LS vi OST a ee ate Ran ome Semi in een tr Sa 75 
MMC c ee RN SO col Poy Gyo ae Ay oN ee OL weeteh ees ie) 
Zirbe qeodejie. Soatskin water container. %. ¢5..30.00s1 faon eee. 78 
PE REM OU ST ORO 8. OS ia Ae oe ha ck oo a Oa oa en ae ta 88 
ERE EME OU Sy (O08 ken he oe a, ee ee ae ee 89 
Bae a Lere crouch, Jiawe, on a catnel fi, fails 28 PG oan ota 90 
RMAC RUCK EL RL OLI0) ooo. oe ys sete aac nd ew Mo a ae Ce ee es 91 
ROME Ce UMAR 2 Sse og ys ine it Soe aiee ; ‘ol eh eee SI a 93 
Pack camels, al-mazghir, on the march carrying rolled up tents 

POM ORG ee thet aio. ds Lt Wee at | keel to aoe eae ae 98 
Pack camels, al-mazhir, on the march carrying rolled up tents 

cP vel SRT ap Or Ses Ra AA eR Pee eee tee i 4g eee, Ae 98 
Pack camels al-mazhir, on the march; a camel carrying a gindib 

Reema ten te POLES ol. we cate ales ances ee ete eerie Nia Mere rat iain 99 
ocmecaine | s di-imaciur, on the march. 40.5.5 sae eae ee es 99 
Packecamels;. wl-macnir, on. the march... is v.05. ees nae ee as 104 
Packecameis., di-machir, on the marehe <<... 26. de ee os 104 
BS Ae COINOI SG lS TON; LAME AINALCH 1s «oases, te ce a 105 
[OLR PEYOTE TLR DF Rochen Ae aaR nach PR eich” SS Ce I eR ee OP Mh et ee 5m Gi 
Vee Oui Cr ecsed "iN 3 DIESE Fo cua. 6 nm ote acral oh giana a eee 12% 
ge aba lens CATR O Lag Ca] 8 WA. Ga nc aa a nn Mice ie CABS ae Lamha parame a Aa ll prick Ss PEL CSE 123 
Meee Tat isOL OP CAMEL (ete) ost F bs ceeeneton OF wir a en nt eRe Sol 
PEALON LOLS, PLGA one aal'v se ates apatoah tte add Sateen era 339 
veh 4a PAE a Uy 1G eee en ne a ne, CA pee Ue Ne rma Pena atr ect ol aan se a 351 
BAP MELITET CO CUSILION selene eit. tots ue a omits cok ata.) whGioats, sig ar een en te eh 352 
PERE PS CLUSION: cairo scant PR eck kte mle bets Ua daa tele a ete ere S52 
BACEHILET CG. CU SOPOT ect cea ns o-srae hcad aaNet e Seube we ha. Ayaka ele he ee ae 352 
INF VWOSOING “SAMALC ety che rele eal wy Soca ee Oa a tee ate eae? 352 


RWALA BEDOUINS 

PAGE 
A heddge saddlewo.2. co... cep eae tees Oe es 352 
A witr cushion for the pack saddlé............72 020 see 352 
An ornamented camel saddle with a zd‘ed blanket............. 353 
A. camel halter, 7asan .0. 066 vse ce eee © ee ee 356 
Camel: riders) 2... on hb ke ee eas PW Se ge ee 357 
Riding camél . 6.0 eis oie ie ee 2 oe ie 3638 
Riding camel . 2.20.0 200. eee ae oe ee sw ole eee 3638 
Diagram of a horse. .... 0250p. > 375 
A zerka? mare oo. 805 See i es ae hee a 376 
A hamra mare .. 6008s ool aes ee ee a le 377 
A horse saddle, merseha .. i... 2.5 (nap ee 380 
Saddled: mare... f.80 064 Seen ie ee ee 381 
Saddled mare sss... fo iu icc iy len oer Sie one ae en 381 
A horse bridle, ‘andn .. <2) on. 30s. os se 392 
Horse fetters, hadid 62. 2.0052. he eee 392 
A. harnessed mare .......: Oe Owes ea ba 393 
Abu-d-Dhiir’ ... oo6 ok oo es A ae 572 
Abu-d-Dhifir’ .. 2. ve oe. a a ee 573 


PREFACE 


The Rwala are recognized by all their neighbors as the 
only true Bedouin tribe of northern Arabia. Traveling and 
camping with them for months I had ample opportunities of 
studying their life. The results of these studies are given in 
this volume. I have found it advisable, however, to add some 
details which I learned from my companion Blejhan eben Mes- 
reb, who was not a Rwejli (or member of the Rwala), but 
hailed from the Kmusa division of the Sba‘a tribe. Both Sba‘a 
and Rwala belong to the ‘Aneze group, the Kmusa being neigh- 
bors of the Rwala and almost identical with the latter in 
manners and customs. 

In transliterating Arabic terms, phrases, sentences, dit- 
ties, and poems I have tried to reproduce exactly the words 
of those whom I quote — Rwala, for the most part. I have not 
corrected their many inconsistencies in grammar and pronun- 
ciation. All the ditties, songs, and poems were explained to 
me in the desert. I used no dictionary as an aid to their 
translation. 

In transliterating Arabic letters I have used the same 
signs as in my works The Northern Hegdz (New York, 1926), 
Arabia Deserta, The Middle Euphrates (New York, 1927), 
Palmyrena, and Northern Negd (New York, 1928), attempting 
to express each sound by a single letter or a single symbol. 
The meaning of the different symbols is indicated below. 

Closing the publication of the results of my explorations 
and studies since 1908 I must thank all those who have helped 
me morally and materially both in the East and West, among 
them: the Academy of Sciences, Vienna; Archbishop Dr. Fran- 
tisek Bauer, Olomouc; al-Hasg Datid eben Sulejman eben Saleh, 
Damascus; Khalil Fattal, Damascus; Dr. Otto Feilchenfeld, 
Prague; the Geographical Society, Vienna; Dr. Max Ritter von 
Gutmann, Vienna; Abbot Dr. Gilbert Helmer, Tepla; Dr. Joseph 
2itter von Karabacek, Vienna; Jindvich Klinger, Prague; the 
Lackenbacher Fund of the Theological Faculty of the Univer- 
sity of Vienna; the reigning Prince Johann von und zu Liechten- 
stein, Vienna; Dr. Melchior Mléoch, Olomouc; Prince an-Nutri 
eben Sa‘lan; Baron Louis Rothschild, Vienna; Philipp Alois 
Schoeller, Vienna; Abbot Dr. Method Zavoral, Prague. 

xl 


X1V RWALA BEDOUINS 


The editor Dr. John K. Wright has cared for my works 
as if they were his own. For over eight years Miss Anna 
Blechova, Secretary of the Oriental Seminar at Charles Uni- 
versity, Prague, has devoted herself with rare enthusiasm to 
the task of preparing these volumes and maps for publication. 

It should be pointed out that the printing of this series as 
a whole, and particularly that of the present volume, raised 
exceptional typographic difficulties. The work was carried out 
by the Statni tiskarna of Prague under the able direction of 
Mr. Karel Dyrynk. The typesetters were unfamiliar with both 
the English and Arabic languages and the transliteration of 
the latter involved the use of innumerable letters with dia- 
critical marks. It is altogether extraordinary that the work 
has been accomplished so accurately and expeditiously. 


TRANSLITERATION 


Line (-) or bow (v) under the letter indicates an aspirated, 
a dot (.) an emphatic, and the sign (v) over the letter a palatal 
pronunciation. 


oy Tires i coos fee 
b=uU S = Uy | 
t=aw S =.» (sh) k= J (like k in like) 
t —w (ts) S = yp (sz) sf (ch) 
g = eS ishdioryinyoke) - ¢ =U9 (dh, dah) l=J 
h=- tb M=~ 
ho= Z = (zh) Tae 
dwar ‘ <g (strong, suttaral hae 
d =3S (dz) Y =¢ (ghr) = 
1 PE f= 3 j = sy in yoke) 


CHAPTER I 
THE HEAVENLY BODIES AND THE WEATHER 


THE SUN AND MOON 


The Rwala imagine that their life is regulated by the 
moon. The moon condenses the water vapors, attracts the rain 
clouds, distils the beneficent dew on the pasture, makes pos- 
sible the growth and longer life of plants — particularly the 
perennials, which are of the greatest importance to the cam- 
els —and grants to the traveling Bedouin comparative safety 
and refreshing sleep. 

On the other hand, the sun would like to destroy the 
Bedouins. It dries up all moisture, not only from the ground, 
but from plants and animals as well as from man, destroys 
all life, renders possible the invasion of enemies by allowing 
them a wide view, and takes revenge on the destroyed animals 
and human beings by transforming their dead bodies into 
deadly poison. The sun is a strong, bony female, full of pas- 
sion and anger. Being sterile herself, she is jealous of all life 
and would spoil it while yet in embryo. Ever since the woman 
sun has been known to the Bedouins, she has always been 
equally old and equally mean. Whether she ever was any 
younger and has had children they do not know, but they 
think that, if she could be restored to youth and could bear 
children, she would at once grow kinder. 

The moon is a merry youth, full of vigor and high spirits. 
The sun is his wife, but he does not live with her. Only on 
the last day of the old and the first of the new moon does 
he stay with her for sexual intercourse, but her passions he 
is unable to satisfy. From fear of her and the needless waste 
of his vigor the moon grows very thin. At first he refused 
to gratify the desires of his old yet insatiable wife, but this 
enraged her and a fight took place between them, in which 
they each knocked out the other’s eye. Since that time they 
have both a dark stain or scar in that place. Each longs for 


1 


2 RWALA BEDOUINS 


the lost eye: the moon in order to do good to the Rwala, the 
sun to hurt them still more. The moon sometimes says: “‘By 
God, if thou hadst not knocked out my eye, I could bring it 
about that the faleoner could hunt in a bright night; w-allah 
law ldé fazzahti ‘ejni la-halli as-sakkar jihedd bekamraje.” 
To which the sun replies: “By God, if thou hadst not knocked 
out my eye, I should have had a two-year-old she-camel roasted 
in a red-hot plain; w-alléh law lak fazzaht “ejm la-halli hezzjet 
al-bel tiSwa’ bramzaje.” 

The moon and sun have a common enemy. This is a fish- 
like female monster called hawt. Al-hawt has persecuted them 
from time immemorial but seldom succeeds in deceiving them. 
Still, whenever she does so, she opens her maw and tries to 
swallow them. Sometimes they elude her, so that the monster 
gets only a small piece of them, but at other times she gulps 
them down whole. The woman sun is so scorched and bony 
that even the hawt cannot digest her and she is soon vomited 
out unhurt. Then the Rwala are vexed that even the hawt 
cannot rid them of the murderous sun. But for the moon 
they are much concerned. When they notice that the hawt 
has bitten into the moon youth, most of the camps become . 
agitated and from the tents pour out both men and women 
hurrying to the moon’s assistance. The women beat their 
copper pots, the men brandish their spears, cut the air with 
their swords, and shoot, all crying in unison: “O hawt, let the 
moon go! ja@ hawt etlaz al-kamddddr.” If that is of no avail, 
the men leap on their horses, the women on the camels, and 
all gallop in the direction where the female monster is threaten- 
ing the moon. So far they have always succeeded in rescuing 
the moon, but they still fear that the hawt may win; there- 
fore there is a night watchman in every camp, whose duty 
it is not only to watch over their property but over their 
benefactor, the moon, as well. 

Much uneasiness, too, is felt by the Bedouins on the first 
night of the new moon, lejlet as-sarra. Since the moon at 
that time appears neither west nor east, they watch the west- 
ern sky anxiously after sunset on the following day, in the 
hope of discovering at least a little piece of the circle, lazmen 
min karsateh, of their emaciated benefactor. If they sight 
the new moon, they show him to each other and raise their 
hands to him, erying: ‘“‘O thou new moon! O lord! O our bene- 
factor! O powerful new moon! O thou, who savedst us (from 


THE HEAVENLY BODIES AND THE WEATHER = 3 


an attack) this (month) just passed, wilt surely save us also 
in that which is now beginning. Jd heldl jd sajjed jd said 
qa ‘azz al-heldl ja-lli fakkejtna bha-l zell tafekkna bhalli hell.” 

The Rwala never know positively how many nights old 
the new moon is. When discussing this they fall to quarreling 
and then have to believe what the older and more experienced 
say about it. But from generation to generation the confidence 
in the elders is on the wane. The young men are too clever 
and heed neither the advice nor the hints of their parents; 
whereat an old father thus complains to his son: “My son, 
there will come a disobedient generation, which will claim of 
(the first night of) the moon that it is already two nights 
old; ja wledi jetla’ gilen wani jekul lal-heldl eben tani.” An 
old neighbor of his adds: “A perverse generation is coming; 
if thou invitest them to feast, they will never find enough 
to drink or eat; if thou raisest thy war cry for help, they 
will not come; jetla’ gil medfas iia ‘azzemteh ma jarwa@ w- 
ma jesba’ w-ilja nahejteh ma jefza‘.” 

The Bedouin is most happy from the eighth to the 
eighteenth night, for the moon in that period is still alive 
at sunrise, tatla’ as-sams w-al-kamar haj7. These nights are 
called the white, lejdl a!-biz. The Bedouin cannot then be dis- 
covered from afar, nor suddenly attacked from near by, as 
he sees farther than the rifle would carry. Beginning with 
the eighth night he can sleep easily; from the tenth onwards, 
he need not drive together the camels which lie here and 
there around his tent; lejlet temaén nim bamdn wz-lejlet “asar 
la tarodd an-nasar. In these nights the fire of a lonely traveler 
can be left burning; on war expeditions no lantern is needed 
to show the way — what wonder then that the grown youth 
wishes: “I would that the night were always bright moonlight, 
the depression always freshly green, and that I might live 
on, growing neither younger nor older; abri enna-!-lejl akmar 
w-ar-rowz ahzar w-ana haji lad azrar w-lad akbar.” 

But after the eighteenth night trouble begins. Thieves 
prowl around, hostile troops ride through the region, the 
smallest fire can be seen from a great distance, and danger 
threatens from both near and far. Therefore the warning is 
heard over and over again: “The twentieth night! Guard thy 
property, wretch! lejlet ‘asrin ehfaz mdlak jad maskin.” The 
darkness of the night fills the wakeful with terror, and they 
ery out: “God save us from the evil of the darkness and of those 


4 RWALA BEDOUINS 


who walk by night! allah jeéfina sarr az-zalma w-ag-zalmin.” 

In winter time the moon passes across the center of the 
heavens, but in summer it stays on the edge, ma‘ batin as- 
sema’, while the sun burns right overhead. 

The Bedouin divides all time into two periods: one when 
the moon reigns and the other when the sun reigns. The 
first is called the night, the second the day, nahdr, and to- 
gether they form our day of twenty-four hours, jowm,; this 
name, however, is not used by the Bedouin, who speaks only 
of the night or the nights; the day, the reign of the sun, is 
regarded as an appendage of the night, which begins with 
sunset and ends with sunrise. The period of sunset is called 
morreb; the first part of the night, ‘asa’; the time between 
sunset and dark, ‘atim; then follows al-atim al-ahir (the 
second ‘atim) and finally midnight, nuss al-lejl; the period 
between midnight and sunrise is tdali-l-lejl; then comes Sakkat 
al-amid, or the time when the morning star begins to rise 
above the dark horizon; and finally the dawn, tal‘at al-hamar. 
The period of sunrise is called subh; when the sun has risen 
and dried the dew, or about halfway between sunrise and 
noon, zaha’. Noon is called zguhr; then follows al-kajile or 
sakkat al-omaj, the time of the siesta. About midway between 
noon and sunset is ‘as7, and then comes “asejr. 

The division of the day into hours is not known. The . 
word hour, sd@‘a, they use, but in the sense of “right away,” 
‘in a minute.” For instance: “Light the fire right away! 
bsd‘a.’ The days of the week are not counted. Sbi‘, a week, 
means not only seven, but also five or even nine or more days. 
Whether the month has twenty-eight or thirty days they do 
not know and do not care, as they count the nights alone. 

For the individual months they have no special names. 
Hmar, first slave of Prince an-Nari, insisted that the suc- 
cessive months are named as follows: ‘dsir, sofar, four months 
of at-twdam, al-rarra, al-ksejjer, ramazan, two months of al- 
aftdr, and finally az-gahijje, but none of the common Bedouins, 
not even one of the younger chiefs, knew all these names. 
Ramazén and az-zahijje were known to all; of the rest every- 
body could name some but without knowing the order. 

The year itself begins with the autumn. When every 
stalk cracks, jitekk al-dd, and breaks — a sign of its being 


completely dry — then the Bedouin observes the clouds and... 


waits for the rain and the new year which follows. 


THE HEAVENLY BODIES AND THE WEATHER 5 


CLOUDS AND RAIN 


The rain is caused by the new moon. As soon as the rainy 
season ends, the new moon sucks and draws the water from 
the great sea in such tiny drops that even the kata bird could 
swallow a hundred of them at once. These drops the new moon 
places in symmetrical rows and forms of them vapors and thin 
clouds, re7m, somewhere far in the west — at al-Hazra, or 
Tunis, as some think. Then, scarcely has the star Canopus 
appeared on the horizon in the autumn, al-havif (for al-havif), 
the time when the Bedouins have neither water for them- 
selves nor pasture for their herds, than Allah sends his angel 
to the far west. The angel compels the drops to cluster closer 
together and thus forms the dark clouds, seheb, which he 
draws to the left (that is, to the north), where he puts them 
in chains. These clouds he thickens, jehagheg, by more and 
more small clouds, reym. Finally, grasping the stick, mehgdn, 
with which he guides his female riding camel, he drives them 
before him, jesi/Jha, above the territories of the Rwala and 
other Bedouins and compels them to let their water fall on 
the scorched desert. If any cloud resists, the angel beats it 
with his mehgan into lightning, jer‘ag, and thunder. The 
frightened cloud then gives up all the water it is carrying, 
dissolves, and disappears. 

But it is not every cloud that brings rain. The Bedouins 
like best the clouds called seheb and mizen. A sahdba or sahdb 
is a dense gray cloud, which often becomes yellow-stained 
and then never fails to give rain, ilja rakkatat nakkatat. 
A mizne is a small cloud, originally white, which is joined by 
many other similar clouds, jitafdze‘en; the augmented cloud 
rises, grows black in places, flashes with lightning, rumbles 
with thunder, and produces heavy rain, sana‘at. The Bedouins 
are wont to say: “Thou art the cloud with the white spot 
whose abundant rain has surprised us. Truly, I welcome thee 
twice, for even the earth welcomes the moisture it has received. 
Enti muznet al-rarra alli rassdna halalha wa-halli bié halutén 
halwat al-arz bebelalha.”’ When it is raining very heavily, the 
Bedouin rejoices, saying: “The rain is pouring in streams, the 
world has changed into a torrent; hallal al-matar hallal sajja- 
let ad-dinja.”’ If rain can be seen falling at a distance, men 
say: “The world has prayed successfully for an abundant rain, 
istahallat ad-dinja.” A downpour which lasts a little while only 


6 RWALA BEDOUINS 


is called rahdsijje (or marhds). A downpour which irrigates 
a small territory is hemldl (pl., hemdlil). If there is abundant 
rain over a wide district, the rain is called dim. The sahab 
cloud brings the heaviest downpour; therefore one may often 
hear: “The sahdb cloud is a robber strewing on the hills a 
mixture of stones and gravel, sahdb nahhdb jarmi ‘ala rus 
al-hzim eksds.” A heavy downpour carries away the fertile 
soil suitable for different plants from the lofty hillocks, which 
resemble waves, and there remain large stones of various sizes 
only, among which the camel can find but sparse pasture. 
The Bedouins call a completely overcast sky mtawsa. The 
semi-transparent, cobweb-like clouds floating under the upper 
dense clouds are the rain-giving clouds, rwéjdt al-matar. 

All clouds obey the dictates of Allah, who sends his angel 
to them. The angel holds a stick, mehgdn, in his hand, urges 
on the clouds, shouts at them, and beats the disobedient. A 
swish of the mehgdn is the lightning’s zigzag course, ‘akraba; 
the shout and the blow are the rumbling of thunder, audible 
as far as a two days’ march (over one hundred kilometers). If 
a thunderstorm is near, ilja ra‘edat as-sahdba, the Bedouins, 
in happy anticipation of rain, shout: “Bring us a good pasture, 
O mighty one! O what a lovely sound! A‘mer 7a kerim 14 
zén al-wahaj.”’ At each flash of lightning they exclaim: “How 
powerful art thou, whose countenance is glorious (whose pro- 
tection is known to all)! ‘azzak ja ‘aziz al-wagh.” If the light- 
ning strikes something, la‘az al-bark, in the neighborhood of 
the camp, the Bedouins fear lest pieces of the clouds may fall 
down and bury them; hence they ery: “Lift the sky from the 
eround, thou strong one, who art merciful (when thou couldst 
slay)! erfa® al-ars ‘an al-fars 7@ mdne‘en Ztwi.” 

Sometimes a piece of the sky, consisting of fire and iron, 
actually breaks off and falls on a Bedouin, killing him, flan 
tahat ‘alejh as-sdzea. If it rains from a great height, the 
water floods some small star, of which there are thousands 
floating in the firmament on cold nights. Every little star 
burns like a piece of red-hot coal, gamra. When the rain falls 
upon it, the star is quenched, begins to hiss, breaks to pieces, 
and falls down to earth. While falling it wails for help, jesrah. 
In the desert such a fallen star forms a furrow, matih an- 
negm, forty to sixty paces long, at the end of which it hides 
itself. Whoever observes the fall of a star runs instantly with 
a water bag to its hiding-place, pours water over it, shovels 


THE HEAVENLY BODIES AND THE WEATHER 7 


on gravel and sand, and then waits a whole year. At the ex- 
piration of that time he scrapes away the sand and gravel, 
takes out the star, and brings it to a good swordsmith, ae 
melts and beats it into a saber which can be sold for one 
hundred Turkish pounds ($450). 

If there is lightning and thunder, but the clouds begin 
to scatter and disappear, the Rwala pray: “QO, that he, who 
sends (angels) to the cloud, may send (an angel) to it on 
eight riding camels and say to it: “The gift (of God) shall 
come down.’ Jd min jirsel las- sahab jirsel leh tamdn eréab 

w-jakul leh ‘atwa? jigi.” If merciful Allah spreads out the 
clouds on high and but few drops fall, the Bedouins lament: 
“After this (rain) we have lost what might have brought us 
gold, (we have lost it) like a vibrating mirage. Truly, we can 
do nothing without Allah. Min ‘okbeh raddejna-d-dahab mitl 
zahzah as-sardb ‘okb allah mé henna sien.’ Abundant rain 
would have given the camels good pasture and for well-fed 
old camels gold can be had from the “Akejl. 

The end of the rain in the daytime is announced by the 
rainbow, sejf al-matar. As soon it appears, the clouds grow 
calm; ilja sajjefat kajjefat. 


SEASONS AND RAINY PERIODS 


In summer the clouds are plentiful, but they bring no 
rain. Only in the autumn there becomes visible either on the 
right or on the left of the sun a sun dog, middat aé- -Sams, 
a sure sign that rain will soon come. In this season the seer, 
sdheb as-sirr, of the Nsejr clan, Mbarek eben Hwemel, takes 
a large handful of salt and, dividing it into six small heaps 
indicating the principal rains, arranges them in the form of 
a cross, sallab, thus: 

o shejlawi 

o Sitwi oo triwi o sejfi 

o gozawi, 
and then lies down by them and waits for what Allah’s 
messenger will tell him during the coming night. On the next 
morning he and the others examine the heaps. The one where 
the most salt is melted is the one which will produce the 
most abundant rain. 

The year of the Bedouins begins with the first heavy 
rain following the appearance of the star Canopus, shejl, in 


8 RWALA BEDOUINS 


the first days of October. “Canopus has shown himself; well, 
then, let us go into the inner desert; tala‘at as-shejl nusarrez,” 
is now the cry of the Bedouins, who, leaving the borders of the 
settled and cultivated districts, wander with all their posses- 
sions into the interior of the desert in search of pastures. 
Canopus reigns for forty nights, after which the Pleiades, 
trajja, take the helm for twenty-five nights, triwi, to be 
followed by Gemini, gawza’, for an equal period. Thus the 
reign of Canopus, the Pleiades, and Gemini lasts ninety days 
in all— three months — and this season of the year is called 
as-sferi, corresponding approximately to October, November, 
and December. Next, the star Sirius, as-Sa‘era, rules for forty 
nights; this season of the year is called as-Sta’. For fifty 

nights after Sirius the ruler is Arcturus, as- -smak, but in the 
middle of our April the reign of the stars ends, as then the 
summer, as-sejf, appears, which lasts to about the beginning 
of June and is succeeded by the dry season, al-kéz, extending 
over four months, to about the first days of October. The 
Bedouin knows, therefore, five seasons of the year: as-sfert, 
ninety nights (from the beginning of October to the beginning 
of January); a8-sta’ forty nights (to about February 20), followed 
by a period sometimes called the second part of as-sta’, ending 
about March 4; as-smék, fifty nights (to the middle of April); 
as-sejf, to the (aeveeceairs of June, and the four months of al- 
kéz. The common Bedouin is quite ignorant of any other di- 
vision of the year. 

The rains are divided by the Bedouin into al-wasm, as- 
Sitwi, as-smék, and as-sejfi. The first includes the rains of 
as-shejlawi, at-triwi, and al-gézdwi, i. e. the rains of Canopus, 
the Pleiades, and Gemini, or the as-sfev? or autumnal rains. 
As soon as Canopus appears, the Bedouins leave their camps, 
pitched in the valleys and the broad dried-up river beds, which 
are often over two hundred kilometers long. After copious 
rains have fallen at the heads of these valleys, the water 
rushes wildly through the channels, washing away the camps 
and drowning both the people and their herds; hence the 
proverb: “When Canopus rises, trust not the creek and gather 
dates even at night; ilja tala‘at as-shejl la tamen as-sejl wa- 
tlammes at-tamr bel-lejl,” because at that period the dates are 
ripe and no selecting is needed. The shejldwi rain is also called 
al-herfi (or al-herfi). If the ground is thoroughly soaked with 
it, arz mawstima ‘alejha-l-herfi, there soon appear on all sides 


THE HEAVENLY BODIES AND THE WEATHER 2 


the tiny pale-green leaflets of annuals, which the Rwala call 
“grasses,” “eseb, whereas the perennials are called by them 
“woody plants,” Sagar. If the wasm at-truwi, the rain of the 
Pleiades, is likewise abundant, the grasses attain their full 
growth and the camels pasture on fresh ‘egeb even before 
the winter, as-Sta’, sets in. 

The most important rain of all is the wasm at-truwi; 
it is the decisive factor for the future grazing. A copious 
rain of Gemini extending over wide areas assures the growth 
of both the grasses and the woody plants and banishes the 
dread of hunger. Sometimes at the end of the gozawi rain 
period comes a rain called at-twejbe (of Aldebaran), which 
completes the fertility brought by the rains of Gemini, al- 
though not sufficient in itself to take their place altogether. 

The sitwi rain, called also an-nezzan, will not assure a 
successful growth of the grasses if they have not already 
sprouted after the wasm rains. In the smék and, especially, 
in the sejf seasons there are many very hot days, so that 
the grasses which came out from the ground after the Sitwi 
rain grow yellow before reaching their full development. But 
the sitwi rain fills all the reservoirs with pure healthful water, 
which evaporates but slowly during the cold winter days and 
nights and in consequence remains pure for a long time. 

The rain of as-smdk is beneficial only when the soil has 
been thoroughly soaked by some autumnal rain, especially 
that of Gemini, for then both the grasses and woody plants 
are rapidly developed by as-smdk and the prosperity of the 
Bedouins in that particular season is well-nigh assured. Yet 
even the most abundant smdk rain is of but little account 
if it falls on ground already parched from lack of moisture 
from the preceding autumnal rains, for the hot sun of the 
following season, as-sejf, will consume everything that the 
smak has called to life. 

An abundant sejfi rain leads to the destruction of the 
annuals, strengthens the perennials, and fills all the spring 
wells. The grasses refreshed by copious summer rain become 
luxuriant, quickly sending out new leaves and blossoms; but 
in a few days the scorching sun absorbs all their sap, wither- 
ing them more prematurely than if as-se/fi had not awakened 
them. The woody plants, on the other hand, having a longer 
period of vegetation, acquire from abundant summer rain so 
much moisture that they can attain their full development. 


10 RWALA BEDOUINS 


A luxuriant growth of perennials in the autumn is a sure 
sign that the particular district has been visited by good 
sejfi rains, whence the saying: “O that lovely little gazelle! it 
will eat its fill of the autumn pasture after the summer rain; 
jd cajn al-hsejf tar‘-al-helfi ‘okb as-sej fi.” Abundant summer 
rain also fills both the natural and artificial reservoirs, but 
such water soon swarms with frogs, dardlis, and all kinds of 
worms, which render it foul-smelling and undrinkable in a 
short time. 


PRAYERS FOR RAIN 


If the earth does not receive abundant autumnal rain, 
the danger of a failure of the pasture, mahal (or muhtr), 
arises. In order to prevent it, the girls and wives of the Bed- 
ouins form a procession with the umm al-rejt, mother of the 
rain (Fig. 1). A woman’s gown is stretched over two sticks 
forming a cross and is carried by a girl (virgin) at the head 
of the procession, which wanders from tent to tent singing: 


1. Jd-mm al-rejt rejtina 
belli bsejt ra‘ina 

2. 7a-mm al-rejt rejtina 
min al-matar eszina 

3. 7a-mm al-rejt rejtina 
min midd allah meddina 

4. ja-mm al-rejt rejtina 
min al-wabel entina. 


O mother of the rain! rain upon Us; 
Wet the mantle of our herdsman. 

O mother of the rain! rain upon us; 
With pouring rain allay our thirst. 

O mother of the rain! rain upon us; 
From Allah’s measure measure out to us. 
O mother of the rain! rain upon us; 

A real flood let our share be. 


Verse 1. Rejt signifies a rain of at least four days’ duration 
extending over a vast region. Bsejt is a cheap gray cloak made 
of wool or cotton waste. 2. The girls gradually increase their 
prayers for rain. At first they want the rain only to wet the 
herdsman’s mantle; then they pray for a downpour, matar, 


THE HEAVENLY BODIES AND THE WEATHER 11 


which lasts several hours. 3. If Allah pours from his measure, 
or rain vessel, that is a cloud-burst. 4. Wabel is a downpour for 
several days, inundating whole plains. Nata is used for ‘ata’, 


to give. 


Ae 


2. 


29 
oO. 


A, 


Ja-mm al-rejt rejtina 
dajem Ssarreé bdlina 

ja-mm al-rejt rejtina 
dajem ‘aggen ‘Gmina 

ja-mm al-rejt rejtina 
wahj al-mahal jatlina 
ja-mm al-rejt 74 tak‘a 
katalna-l-bard w-saka. 


O mother of the rain! rain upon us: 
’ 


Thy evil 


is still tormenting us. 


O mother of the rain! rain upon 1H Bi 

Clouds of dust are still blinding us. 

O mother of the rain! rain upon US; 

The specter of want speeds towards us. 

O mother of the rain! O hungry one! 

The chill and severe cold have destroyed us. 


Verse 4. Bard is less strong than sak‘a. In summer the 
saying “bard al-jowm, it is chilly today,” is often heard, but 
sak‘a is used only when the icy but dry north wind penetrates 


the bones. 
1 


2. 


3. 


4. 


. Alli ta‘tina bel-rerbal 


gaal wulejdah haj7al 

alli ta‘tina bel-menhel 
gual wulejdah jedhel 
alli ta‘tina bel-hafna 

‘asa “aduwwateh ledafnah 
alli ta‘tina bel-kamsa 
gual ‘ajuinaha-r-ramsa. 


Of her who will give us a full sleve, 

Oh may (Allah) make the little son grow up a rider. 
Of her who will give us-a full bolt, 

Oh may (Allah) lead the son to a bride. 

Of her who will give us a large handful, 

Oh may the grave open for her enemy. 

Of her who will give us a small handful, 

Oh may her eyelashes soon grow thicker. 


12 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Verse 3. Hafna is as much as the hand with the palm 
turned upwards and with bent fingers can hold, or a large 
handful. 4. Kaméga is as much as can be held between the 
palm and the fingers of the hand turned downwards, or a 
small handful. 

Eréebtini-l-hasi 
w-ebadu bikmasi 
dem‘ ‘ajni nawwasi 
‘ala-lli faraktini. 

Seat me upon a weak young camel, 

And take away him who would hold me; 

The tears of my eyes are exhausted 

Weeping for him from whom they have parted me. 


Hasi is a camel not yet three years old; an older she- 
camel is called gill. The young camel suffers from lack of 
pasture and water, the girl from sorrow for her lost sweet- 
heart, and both will perish if no one cares for them. 


Er éebini-l-hamrv Seat me upon a bay mare, 
w-et'emuni tamra - Feed me with one date. 

allah jetil ‘omrah | Oh may Allah prolong his life, 
jowm hom hallasini. For they have liberated me. 


They (her relatives) saved her from death by bringing 
back her lover, who did not perish of thirst in the raid. 


Ja dib ja tadred al-hejf 
otrod habuib as-semali 
cajjant ‘alja’ w-abu zed 
ahl al-kstir al-‘awali. 
O wolf! O thou who strugglest with the hot south wind! 
Drive away the cold breeze of the north wind. 
Thou hast surely seen ‘Alja and Abu Zejd, 
Who used to dwell in manors high. 


The wolf is not injured by the various winds and thus 
reaches an age so great that he could tell much concerning 
the occupants of the demolished manors which he has seen. 
Al-hejf is the hot dry wind blowing in summer from the south- 
east, causing much suffering, especially to children and women. 
As-Semili is the icy north wind, which destroys plants as well 
as animals and human beings. If it blows for some time, the 
grass freezes and both animals and men fall sick. There are 


THE HEAVENLY BODIES AND THE WEATHER 13 


no rains after the hejf in summer nor after the gemdli in 
winter. The wolf struggles, téred, with the south wind and 
overcomes and drives away the north wind. Abu Zejd and his 
sweetheart “Alja are the heroes of stories that are told among 


Fic. 1—Umm al-rejt, mother of rain. 


the settlers. They are supposed to have owned the towns now 
lying in ruins and to have lived in manors, the crumbling walls 
of which rise high above the horizon on the borders of the 
desert. 

In every tent a gift of some kind is handed to the girls 
accompanying the wmm al-rejt. Having visited all the tents 
in the camp, they go with their wmm al-rejt to a small tent 
pitched at some distance, where they divide and eat whatever 
has been given them, remove the gown from the cross, and 
in the evening return to their tents. 


PERIODS OF ABUNDANCE AND WANT 


An abundant wasm rain, especially the rain of at-triwi 
(of the Pleiades) assures to the Bedouins, as we have already 
said, a rich pasture of annual plants or grasses, ‘eseb, and 
thus abundance, commonly called rabi*. In the inner desert 


14 RWALA BEDOUINS 


the word rabi* does not signify a season of the year; it is 
therefore impossible to translate it by the word spring, as 
we may when we are dealing with the settled and cultivated 
territories. The fellaéhin, inhabitants of the cultivated terri- 
tories, enjoy the rabi* from year to year, and, as it always 
begins at the same season, the rabi* for them signifies the 
spring. The angel Gibrin, who rules over the rain clouds, likes 
neither the Rwala territory nor the desert; therefore he spreads 
his wings over them, so that it rains there only in narrow strips, 
i. e. where the rain slides off his wings. On the contrary, when 
he flies over the territory of the felldhin he folds his wings as 
close together as possible, and then the rain falls everywhere. 
On his journey over the desert CGibrin beats the clouds to make 
them fly the faster, but over the settled territory he leaves 
them in peace and it rains abundantly there. The teachers of 
the Koran in explanation of this conduct of Gibrin say that 
he is angry with the Bedouins because they disregard the in- 
structions which he imparted to the Prophet (Mohammed). 

If the earth is not thoroughly soaked by any of the 
autumnal rains, then there is no rabi; al-arz alli ma tinwa- 
sem ma terabbe: muhtije. The abundance, rabi‘, is also greater 
and of longer duration if the ground, after its soaking by the 
autumnal rain, is visited in addition by an abundant smak 
rain. Then: the whole steppe and even the desert are trans- 
formed into a delightful meadow. Every valley and piece of 
low ground or gentle slope, all the plains composed of fine 
red sand, as well as the rifts and heights are at once covered 
with an infinite variety of annuals and perennials. The camels 
nibble at the greatest dainties only and grow so fat that they 
can hardly move. The milk often flows or drips from the 
udders of the she-camels, which are full to overflowing; the 
mares and foals roll about in the thickest grass and the Bed- 
ouins, men, women, old people, and children, have more sweet 
or sour milk and camel’s fat than they know what to do with. 
Moreover, they have the hope of a sure profit in selling the 
superfluous old or sterile she-camels to the ‘Akejl buyers, who 
pay well for fat animals. In a territory where there is a rabi* 
tents can be seen scattered all around. With plenty of good 
pasture close to their tents the herdsmen do not drive their 
camels far out. Pure cold rain water can be found in every 
low-lying place, rock crevice, and hole in the river beds. Every 
one bathes, the clothes are washed, and parasites of all kinds 


THE HEAVENLY BODIES AND THE WEATHER 15 


destroyed. In the afternoons and evenings the young people 
hasten to the water holes, rudrdn, in the valley bottoms for 
their ablutions. They bathe separately, the youths in one place, 
the girls in another. Their shouts of Joy and various songs 
are heard on all sides. In the tents mushrooms and truffles, 
young bulbs, and fresh vegetables are cooked and enjoyed. 

The local name for the mushrooms is hawbar. They grow 
after warm night rains, emter bel-lejl w-rah jataganna-l-haw- 
bar. On the mornings following such nights both men and 
women go out in search of this dainty, which grows best of 
all near the channels, while the truffle prefers soil mixed or 
strewn with sand. When they come to the surface the latter 
form tiny hat-like lumps, which attract the eye of the picker. 
The earth or sand covering them is then turned over by the 
hand or a stick, and the truffle dug out. In cooking they are 
boiled in salt water and then served with butter or camel’s 
fat. Another method is to bake them in hot ashes after a 
thorough salting. 

Of the truffle, faka‘, there are three kinds: al-€ema, az- 
zbejdi, and al-hids’. A Bedouin, having gathered a heap of 
truffles, sorted them in his tent according to their kinds, 
Saying: “This one is al-émajje, the mother of the little gir] 
will get that; this az-zbejdi I will give to the mother of my 
little son; and the best, al-hlasi, I shali keep myself; al-€majje 
lumm al-bnajje az-zbejdi lumm wlejdi al-hlasi lardsi.” 

All Bedouins greatly enjoy the small bulbs of certain wild 
plants, especially at-tita, rubahla, karrdt, ete. Mothers send 
their boys in search of them with the words: “My little sons, 
O sonnies! go bring me at-tita; I will prepare for you mutita 
(a dish of mashed bulbs); ‘ejali 74 ‘ejal at-tita w-mutiekom 
mutita.” 

In the sun-baked gravel plains (called hamdd) in a year 
of abundance the semh grows with its subvarieties, ad-da‘d‘ 
and al-hawwa. These plants, when already ripe and still fresh 
are much sought after by the Bedouins, who place them in 
pits safe from water or in bags. When dry the plants are 
beaten with sticks and shaken, and the seed, ée‘ber, which have 
fallen to the ground, are put into sacks, ‘eddl, and brought to 
rain-water holes, where they are either left for some time or at 
least thoroughly soaked until the dry husks crack. Sometimes 
the large leather water troughs, howz, are filled with water 
and the full shells are put in; in time they swell and burst. 


16 RWALA BEDOUINS 


The chaff, kis, which floats on the top is then thrown away, 
while the clean seed are spread on blankets and allowed to 
dry. Or the Bedouins lay the filled sacks when still moist in 
the sun, shake them until the seed fall to the bottom, throw 
away the chaff, and clean the seed once more, so that they 
may serve as an article of food in a poor season. This is 
called semhne or sebib. 

The fertility, or abundance, rabi‘, depends entirely on a 
luxuriant growth of the grasses, or annuals, not on that of 
the woody plants, or perennials. The latter become green even 
after a good sejfi rain, when the earth is well watered, mas- 
jufa; but no sejfi rain can relieve the annuals, for the heat 
of the sun soon burns them. In the same year one tribe may 
have no rabi at all, while another tribe, even a neighboring 
one, has abundance of everything. This difference is the more 
noticeable when the tribes are enemies. Of such a year they 
say: “This year has queer teeth; men live well (have some- 
thing to bite into), and men die of hunger; hddi-s-sene w-laha 
snin nas jatsin w-nds jemutun.” The Bedouin also refers 
to a rabt al-mdads, meaning a Season when the entire growth 
consists of solitary grass patches insufficient to feed even 
the youngest camels; a rabi* as-safdra, when nothing grows 
except the safdra with its yellow blossoms; a rabi' ad-dimne, 
when the grasses, though they may have sprouted and grown 
luxuriantly after the wasm and Sitwi rains, fail to receive the 
smék rain and become yellow as early as the end of March; 
a rabi an-nafgan, when all the plains and lowlands are thickly 
carpeted with grass; and, finally, a rabi* at-tafha, when not 
only the lowlands but all the slopes, as well, afford luxuriant 
pasture. 

Just as the Bedouins long for the rabi’ years, so they 
fear the years of want, or haw’. If for two or three years 
the rains in the autumn months have not been copious enough, 
there are no grasses and the camels must live on the woody 
plants alone. The winter rain, as-sitwi, makes these perennials 
swell, but during the hot smdak days they dry up, become un- 
palatable to the camels, and thus the actual ajjdm al-hawa, 
or days of want, set in, a period in which many camels perish. 
But if the rains of the sejfi also fail, then not a single peren- 
nial shoots up, last year’s offshoots fall to pieces, to be broken 
and scattered by the wind, and the region soon changes into 


THE HEAVENLY BODIES AND THE WEATHER 17 


a dead and death-dealing desert. This is the work of the woman 
sun, whose sole aim is to burn and destroy. 


HOT AND COLD WEATHER; DEWS; WINDS; FOGS; 
MIRAGES; SAND STORMS 


The greatest heats, called hamm al-klejbén, occur in the 
Season of al-kéz; hamm as-shejl, the season immediately 
before the rise of Canopus, is the next hottest. When the 
Pleiades, at-trajja, disappear from the heavens, every stalk 
dries up, ilja rdbat at-trajja kill ‘iden jibes. 

The season of as-sta’, with a few days before and after 
it, is the coldest of all; from about December 11 to January 
20 is the time of the real winter, al-marba‘anijie. The Sta? 
cold is followed by the seven poisonous nights, saba’ semm; 
then come the seven bloody nights, saba° demm; and finally 
Seven nights in which the fat (of the camels) is either in- 
creasing or decreasing, jisir ad-desem w-ld jisir. In explana- 
tion it should be said that the nights of the first and second 
week following the marba‘anijje are often so cold as to make 
the life of both human beings and animals miserable; the noses 
of the camels even bleed from the effects of the cold. Not 
until the third week, or about the middle of February, do the 
cold nights begin to alternate with warm ones. In the daytime 
the earth is warm, but at night the air stratum more than 
one meter above the ground cools off; wherefore the two giants 
(i.e. the camel and the palm) suffer much from cold, bard at- 
tawilén. In winter, al-marba‘anijje, all of Palmyrena, all the 
territories of al-Hamad, al-Wudijan, al-Hegera, al-Hunfa, Hes- 
ma’, and even the Neftid are covered with white frost, halit. 
In Palmyrena, al-Hamad, and al-Wudijan trees and bushes 
become white with hoarfrost, gelid, at that time. Snow falls, 
felegat ad-dinja, in Palmyrena, al-Hamad, and Hesma in large 
flakes, twérdt, regularly every year, but as a rule it remains 
on the ground no more than one day, excepting in Palmyrena, 
where it sometimes stays longer, causing great losses to the 
owners of sheep and goats. 

The dew, fall, neda’, or tofal, is plentiful all the year 
round, especially during the summer months. It is sent by 
the moon to refresh both the annuals, or grasses, ‘eseb, and 
the perennials, or woody plants, Sagar, which otherwise could 


18 RWALA BEDOUINS 


not support the sun’s heat. Hail falls sometimes instead of 
or with rain, and the hailstones are often of a size large 
enough to wound and even kill young camels. 

As every breeze comes from Allah, nobody dares curse 
the winds. A light wind is called hawa, also habub; a strong 
one, salf. The west wind is the most frequent. In summer it 
springs up regularly two hours after noon, cools the heat of 
the day, and is called barrdd or da‘dd‘i. The north wind, as- 
Semdali, blows almost exclusively during the Sta’ season, disper- 
sing the clouds and absorbing their water, and therefore called 
as-saldjta. In the winter time the Bedouin likes the south wind, 
al-Zibli, best, as it is always accompanied by rain, as-skajje. 
The east wind, as-Serzi (or as-Serzij7e), generally blows for 
only three or four days, and the west wind always follows after 
it. Towards the end of the smdk and kéz seasons the east wind 
is especially strong, blowing then for as long as seven days and 
nights. It is called semtém, is exceedingly dry and hot, and 
causes much suffering especially among women and children. 
They would all perish if it blew for more than seven days. 
Sometimes the northwest wind, an-nacbe, blows in winter, 
usually on nights when there is no moon and the stars alone 
are shining. A night of this kind is called gird; it is very 
bright, but icy cold. If a stiff but cold west wind blows at 
night, the night is called Salta. A warm, cloudless night is 
known under the name of kamra zeriz; a warm but clouded 
night is called zalma’ delkes, and a dark rainy night, radra’. 

If on a bright sunny day the view is not clear and the 
horizon is slightly hazy, the day is spoken of as the ratat ma 


e BSL aN: 


is the Catme (or ¢itdém). In autumn and winter a dense moist 
fog, kubejs (or kubejs), hangs over the country. The Bed- 
ouins think that the fog can hear like human beings and is 
afraid of the fox, and therefore they shout at it: “O father 
of the fogs, run away! The fox! Jd-ba kbds ‘ank at-ta‘leb.” 
They take fog to be the creation of the earth spirits, ginn, 
as it usually appears to come out of gullies and jagged rocks, 
where it also remains longest. Besides the kbejs in the cool 
season, the ‘agjdg and sardb, which occur in the hot season, 
are likewise the work of the ginn. On hot and bright days, 
especially about noon, there appear on the scorched plains of 
al-Hamad many ponds hedged in with bushes and tall grasses. 


THE HEAVENLY BODIES AND THE WEATHER 19 


The stranger, deceived by the apparition, urges on his tired 
animal to the water near at hand and wonders why the animal 
does not itself hurry. But here the beast is wiser than the 
inexperienced stranger. Those ponds, bushes, and grasses do 
not rest on terra firma, but merely vibrate in the air and are 
nothing but a mirage, sardb. At other times again the ginn 
raise a strong wind with clouds of dust and sand, which they 
drive against the Bedouins, trying to blind them, to overthrow 
their tents, and to entomb every living thing. Such a storm 
is called ‘agdge. Dreadful are the days and even more so the 
nights during the sand storms. In the south a tiny dark cloud 
appears on the horizon. The wind dies down, the sun is en- 
veloped with quivering veils, and a peculiarly depressing feel- 
ing takes hold of the people. The camels become excited, and, 
collecting in groups, stop grazing. The tiny veils grow toa 
cloud, which covers the edge of the horizon to a considerable 
height and, steadily rising, sends forth a rumbling noise. Be- 
fore long there appears a dark wall in front of it, which ad- 
vances along the whole line. The rumbling increases, changes 
into a wild roar, the wall comes rolling on, covers everything 
with dust and sand, carries away whatever resists, and buries 
what it cannot carry away. 


CHAPTER Il 
ANIMALS 


CARNIVOROUS ANIMALS 


Various animals live on the pastures visited by the Rwala. 

The fahad, panther, is found particularly on the uplands 
to the northeast of the depression on Sirhan as well as in the 
environs of al-Hazel. 

The kurta is a beast of prey similar to the wildcat, only 
larger, dark yellow in color, with cropped ears ending with 
a tuft of long straight hairs. It lives in the territories of al- 
Hegera and al-Labbe. It lies in wait for gazelles and is fond 
of hiding itself in the dry annuals, al-hemri. The breeze blows 
the hairs on its ears as it moves the annuals; the gazelles 
are thus misled and approach it, whereupon it leaps on to 
their backs, thrusts-its claws into their throats, and sucks 
their blood. 

The zab‘a, hyena, dwells in large numbers in dens on the 
at-Tawil range. By day it is timid, but by night it infests 
the whole territory, opens graves, devours corpses, attacks 
wounded or ailing camels, and even preys on crying babies. 
It has three or four cubs. If the Bedouins observe its fresh 
spoor near a den, they surround the den, bring a long rope, 
make a noose in it, and send one of their number after the 
hyena. The hunter slips the noose on his left arm, crawls along 
on his stomach, draws the rope after him, and gropes cauti- 
ously on all sides searching for the beast. As soon as he catches 
hold of it, he shouts: “It isn’t here, this isn’t it! isn’t here! 
I have found a piece of old sheepskin, but it isn’t here!” In 
the meanwhile he slips the noose round the hyena’s neck and 
crawls out. At a given sign his comrades draw the hyena 
out, kill it, and eat its flesh. The flesh of the young hyenas, 
about six months old, who are living with their mother, is 
particularly appetizing. The teeth of the hyena, hung round 
the neck, protect children against various diseases. The gall of 
the hyena, when mixed with water and taken as a drink, 
assuages fever. 


20 


ANIMALS 21 


The dib, wolf, is most fond of frequenting caves and crevices 
in rocks. Only when it is about to give birth to young does 
it crawl into a deserted hyena den. In color it adapts itself 
to its surroundings. In the voleanic territory it is dark brown, 
asham; in the sandy desert of the Nefiid it is a light brown 
with a greenish tinge, azrak; and in the plains of al-Hamad 
and al-Wudijan it is gray with a tinge of blue, ashab. Wolf 
skins are used in making rebecs, or one-stringed viols, 7e- 
baba, which then have a particularly high note. The wolf’s 
eye fetches a very high price, because it affords protection 
in the greatest danger. The wolf thoroughly understands 
human speech. He himself was once a human being and his 
name was Serhan. At that time all the sheep and goats be- 
longed to him. Because of some great sin he was changed 
into a wolf, and his flocks were taken by man. But the wolf 
even now regards goats and sheep as his own and has a 
grudge against shepherds and their dogs because they prevent 
him from enjoying his property. Once a wolf said to a sheep 
dog: “Tonight I will take some of my property for supper, 
al-lejle “asdje ras mal.” The dog replied: “We shall see. If I get 
Supper from my masters, I shall protect their property, so 
that thou wilt not get a taste of it; elja ‘asstini-hali affekaha 
la tdtiikaha.” If the dog does not receive an adequate supper, 
his hunger causes him to seek food throughout the neigh- 
borhood, and the wolf can plunder to his heart’s content. 

There was a certain Bedouin who went out on his camel 
for booty. He met a wolf who likewise was going in search 
of spoil. They agreed that they would help each other like 
brothers, tahdwow hu w-ad-dib. The wolf sat on the camel 
behind the rider. While the rider slept, the wolf watched over 
the grazing camel. When they reached a high hill, from the 
top of which there was a good view, merkdb, the wolf crawled 
out on to the hill and inspected the region on all sides. Finally 
he caught sight of grazing camels which belonged to a hostile 
tribe. They rode cautiously in their direction. The rider kept 
his camel in a hidden gully and crept with the wolf towards 
the camels. The wolf ran up to the shepherds, who immediately 
seized their weapons and pursued him with shouts. Scarcely 
had they disappeared when the Bedouin seized the finest 
camel and rode with it into the gully. The wolf led the shep- 
herds far away from their herd; then he returned to it, caught 
by the throat a tiny young camel, which was covered with 


22 RWALA BEDOUINS 


the skin of another young one, and dragged it likewise into 
the gully. (A young camel of this kind is called baww. If a 
strong she-camel, which gives milk long and abundantly, gives 
birth to a weak male cub, the owner removes it from its 
mother, kills it, and ties a portion of its skin around the neck 
and throat of another young camel. The mother of the animal 
which has been killed sniffs at the skin, thinks that this is her 
cub, and lets it suck. Thus she does not lose her milk with fret- 
ting, while the mother of the living camel continues to treat it 
in the same way. Thus both she-camels adopt the cub, both 
feed it, and the owner can milk both of them.) As soon as the 
she-camels noticed that their cub was being removed by the 
wolf, they fled after it and also ran into the gully, where the 
Bedouin tied them up and drove them as a welcome booty into 
his camp. His comrade, the wolf, not venturing into the camp, 
hid himself in a rocky cleft near by and waited for the Bedouin 
to bring him something. This, however, the latter forgot to 
do. After two days the wolf began to howl: ““Aw ‘au ‘awwesni, 
give me something to eat!” The Bedouin immediately killed 
one of the she-camels, brought the intestines, the throat, and 
the forelegs beyond the encampment for the wolf, and, having 
explained the whole affair in the chief’s tent, he announced 
that he would punish anybody who harmed his comrade, the 
wolf. In this encampment there was a youth who was learn- 
ing to shoot. Catching sight of the wolf, he forgot the threat, 
took aim, and shot it. The Bedouin avenged his brother, the 
wolf, and all the elders said that he was in the right. The 
Bedouin exclaimed: “I have fraternized with the wolf. Oh, 
woe is me! My other brother did not leave this brother. 
Pahawagt ana w-diben serhdn ja wejja hawijje ma halla 
hawije.” 

The stb is a cross between a wolf and a female hyena. It 
lives in the environs of the well of a&-Siziz and attacks a 
man even when not provoked. 

The zarbil, badger, is an animal smaller than a dog with 
a grayish-yellow back, a black belly, a dog’s head, teeth similar 
to those of a human being, and a long tail. Its skin has a 
characteristic smell. It lives in dens, which it digs for itself, 
and devours jerboas and ordinary mice, lizards, chameleons, 
ete. Its flesh is eaten. If a Bedouin sees that a zarbdul has 
hidden in its den, he shouts: “Run away, badger! run away, 
badger! kurr az-zarbil kurr ag-zarbil.” 


ANIMALS 23 


The ab-al-hsejn, ta‘leb, or rorejri, fox, is found all over 
the territory of the Rwala. If its Spoor 1s seen in the morning 
in the dew, a greyhound, sluke, is set on to it. The flesh of 
the captured fox is eaten. The fox has a great grudge against 
human beings for pursuing it and accuses them of ingratitude. 
Adam, the first father of all human sons, once found a half- 
frozen serpent outside the garden of Eden. Being moved by 
compassion, he laid the serpent in his bosom and returned 
with it into his garden. The serpent became warm, recovered, 
and shouted to Adam: “Carry me back at once to the spot 
whence thou didst take me; I have my family there. If thou 
dost not carry me back there at once, I will bite thee.’”’ Adam 
could not exactly remember the spot. He walked to and fro 
with the serpent, who kept shouting: “This is not where 
my family lives. Carry me back there at once, or I will bite 
thee.” Adam, wearied and terrified, was glad to meet a fox, 
and proposed to the serpent that the fox should act as judge. 
The serpent agreed. Adam sat down in front of the fox and 
was about to explain what the point at issue was, but the 
fox interrupted him with the words: “Be silent until thy 
adversary comes.” “My adversary is here.” “I do not see him.” 
“I am here. I am lying right on Adam’s belly.” “If thou art 
Adam’s opponent, Zebileh, thou must sit opposite him, Zebileh, 
otherwise I cannot acknowledge thee as such.” “Very well, 
then I will crawl out.” The serpent crawled out from beneath 
Adam’s garment and sat down in front of him. The fox said: 
“Thee, O man (Adam), I will call N ejsube, therefore pay heed 
that thou mayest comprehend everything. Behold the serpent’s 
head, O Nejstb beh!” But Jd nejstib beh means: “Oh! a blow 
upon it.” Adam understood the meaning of the fox’s challenge, 
seized his cudgel, which was provided with a heavy knob, kena, 
and smashed the serpent’s head. Since then the sons of Adam 
have slain every serpent at sight. But when they began to 
pursue the descendants of the fox also and to eat their flesh, 
the latter complained: “Shame unto thee, thou black-headed 
one! Why am I being pursued? Is it thus that I am requited 
for my good deed? Ahs jé séwed ar-rds léh atandéer tesla-l- 
melih.” 

The fox declares that he wishes to live at peace with 
everyone, but in reality he wishes to beguile everyone. Thus 
he sent a message once to the raven: “Gladly would I entertain 
thee, abri akrom lak.” “Good! entertain me! zén okrom.” The 


24 RWALA BEDOUINS 


fox boiled some ‘aside, gruel made of milk and flour, poured 
it out on a shallow rock, and invited the raven. The raven 
came and the fox urged him, saying: “Enjoy thyself, comrade! 
efleh ja@ sdhbi,” and at once began to lap the fluid from the 
surface of the rock, as-safa’, while the hungry raven was 
unable to get anything into its beak. He thought to himself: 
“Very well, then; that is the fox’s hospitality.” But he did not 
show his dissatisfaction and invited the fox to visit him for 
sweet dates. The fox’s mouth watered. He was very fond of 
sweet dates, but he could never pluck them; they hung too 
high, and it was only for them that he had wished to make 
friends with the raven. The raven shook the finest and ripest 
dates into a dense shrub containing long and sharp thorns, 
Zetdde, and he then said to the fox: “Enjoy thyself, comrade!’ 
The fox ran round the shrub trying to snatch out at least a 
single date with his tongue or his foot, but in-vain. The thorns 
wounded his legs. Enviously he watched the raven, who with 
his claws drew forth date after date and picked them up with 
his beak. Since that time the fox has acknowledged the raven 
as his equal. 

The fox is very fond of feeding on grains of wheat. He 
therefore invited the hedgehog, kumfod (pl., kendfid), to till 
a field in common with him and to sow wheat. The hedgehog 
agreed, and with his family — he had twenty-four children 
he set about the work. They plowed the soil, sowed the 
wheat, and protected it against trespassers. From time to 
time the fox came running up to look at them, but he did 
not help them. He promised that he would reap, thrash, and 
winnow the wheat. But this work also he left to the hedgehog. 
When the wheat was thrashed and winnowed, the fox suggested 
to the hedgehog: “Thou and I shall run a race. Whichever 
of us runs first from my den to the pile of wheat, shall take 
it all. We are friends. Why should we divide it?” The hedge- 
hog agreed. The race was to begin at sunrise. In the night 
the hedgehog brought his wife and his twenty-four children 
to the pile of grain, placed his wife up against it, and pro- 
ceeded straight to the fox’s den, posting his children at fixed 
intervals, so that he reached the den alone. ‘“O father fox, the 
sun is rising. Wilt thou not run?” “Run thyself. I will catch 
up with thee!” “Good, I will run.” When it grew warm and 
the dew had dried up — that is, in the time of az-gaha — 
the fox jumped up from his lair and shouted: “Where art 


ANIMALS 25 


thou, hedgehog?” “Near thy jawbone,” and actually he per- 
ceived the hedgehog in front of him. He went a short distance 
farther and asked afresh: “Where art thou, hedgehog ?” “Here, 
in front of thy face.’ The fox was surprised at seeing the 
hedgehog in front of him. He set off at a trot. The hedgehog 
was still in front of him. He ran leaping on. The hedgehog 
was still in front of him. The sweat was pouring off him 
when he drew near to the pile of wheat, but the hedgehog was 
sitting on it. Thus the hedgehog gained a victory over the fox. 

The foxes wanted to make friends with the dogs. After 
conferring together, the foxes wrote a long letter in which 
they described their love and devotion as well as their longing 
for peace, and they sent a young fox to hand the letter to 
the chief of the dogs. Scarcely had the fox reached the frontier 
of the territory belonging to the dogs, when he was observed 
by the guard, and five dogs set upon him. The fox shouted 
that he had come to negotiate for peace and showed the letter, 
but the dogs did not believe him. He threw the letter to fem 
in order that they might read it, but the dogs continued to 
snarl angrily and rush after him, without taking any notice 
of the white paper. The fox was glad to escape with his life. 
Bleeding from many wounds and all covered with sweat, he 
reached his companions. When he had recovered, the foxes 
asked: “What about the letter?” “They did not believe it.” 
“What? they did not believe it? Why, we stamped it with 
our seal.” “Then the dogs do not trouble about vour seal. 
I showed the letter to five of them, Not a single one could 
read or write, but they could all snarl and bite, as you see 
from me.” 


THE LARGER HERBIVOROUS ANIMALS 


The beden (or wa‘al), ibex, with long powerful horns, lives 
in the mountains of ar-Raw4k, a8-Sama, at-Tawil, and al-Hts. 
If it descends to the plain, it does not escape the dogs, but 
in the mountains it cannot be overtaken. The hunters track 
the fresh spoor which it leaves when going at night to the 
pasture. They crouch in a rocky cleft and wait until it passe:. 
Sometimes five or even more men go out to hunt it. One 
proceeds along the ridge of the mountain, the rest go at fixed 
intervals along the slope, and during the day they search for 
the place where the ibexes take their ease. The ibex has very 


26 RWALA BEDOUINS 


weak sight, but its sense of hearing and smell are excellent. 
The female protects her young with her horns. 

The bakar al-maha (or bakar al-wahas), Beatrix antelope, 
attains the size of a one-year-old calf. It is white and has 
straight sharp horns, with which it defends itself against 
dogs. During the day it is most fond of frequenting the deep 
funnel-shaped pits of the sandy desert an-Neftd. In the sum- 
mer, when the Bedouins do not encamp in the Nefid, it grazes 
quite freely even during the day, while in the rainy season 
it goes out to the pasture only at night and is very timid. 
If it is alarmed it will flee for a whole day without stopping. 
Its sight is bad. A huntsman in a white shirt can approach 
to within gunshot of it if he advances against the wind behind 
a white horse or camel. The male is called t67, the female 
bkara, the young ‘egel. Its flesh is very tasty. The skin is 
used for making water bags or coverings, and from the fat 
skin at the back of the neck, known as ‘a‘ara, the Bedouins 
sew gauntlets, darake, for protecting the hand against saber 
wounds. 

The zbi, gazelle, forms whole flocks, gemile, in al-Hamad, 
especially in the territory of al-Man4zer on the southern border — 
of Palmyrena. The male is called tejs, the female ‘anz, the 
young hisf (or razdl). The gazelle is known as rim if it is 
white, ‘efri if it is white beneath its belly and yellowish on 
its back, and hemri if it is of a pinkish tint. 

The best gazelle hunters are the men of the Slejb tribe. 
Their favorite method is to hunt in twos. One does the driving, 
hawwdas, the other the hunting, kannas. The one who does 
the driving wraps skins, habbdjat, round his knees and elbows 
and crawls on them towards the flock of gazelles, endeavoring 
to drive them up to the hidden marksman. In a single day 
they capture ten to twenty gazelles. 

In al-Manazer the gazelles are driven into extensive en- 
closures. A wall about one and a half meters high, shaped like 
a figure eight, is built of stone without mortar. The lower loop 
is only half finished. Where the two loops meet, a narrow 
opening, tenijje (or ze7z), is left. At several places portions 
of the wall enclosing the upper loop are a little lower than 
the rest of the wall. At each of these places a hole two or 
three meters deep is dug outside the enclosure. The flock of 
gazelles is cautiously driven into the lower uncompleted loop. 
This is soon accomplished, because the two walls are about 


ANIMALS 27 


a thousand paces distant one from the other. The gazelles at 
first advance quietly, but later on, becoming scared, they run 
along the two walls and try to penetrate as rapidly as possible 
through the narrow opening into the upper and completely 
closed loop. As soon as they run through, the narrow opening 
is blocked up and a greyhound, sluke, attacks the gazelles. The 
frightened animals run round the wall, jump across it where 
it is lowest, and fall into the pits that have been dug outside. 
It is said that the gazelles even dream of the narrow opening, 
gejz, through which they rush to certain destruction. If a Bed- 
_ ouin wishes to stop a gazelle in flight, he shouts: “A narrow 
opening is in front of thee, O gazelle! azg-gejz ja razdl,” and 
the gazelle at once stops and looks round. If a Bedouin per- 
celves a gazelle when he is undertaking an important task, 
he is afraid of bad luck, and shouts: “Gazelle, gazelle, let the 
misfortune vanish as well! razdl razal w-sarren zal.’ 


SMALL ANIMALS 


The arnab, hare, is found throughout the territory of the 
Rwala. In the sandy Nefid it is pinkish-white; in the volcanic 
regions it is black; in al-Hamad it is grayish-yellow. Hence 
it cannot be distinguished from its surroundings. The male 
is called hazaz, the female ‘edene, and the young hurnez. The 
full-grown hare is not as large as the wild rabbit of Europe. 
Like the gazelle and antelope it quenches its thirst with dew 
only. If a man approaches it, it crouches close to the ground 
or hides behind a stone in a brushwood thicket and does not 
move even if the man walks right past it. If, however, it 
notices that the man is returning, it seeks safety by rushing 
madly away. 

The hare is said to boast: “I am he with the white lip 
in the plain with the dried-up plants, who satisfies two and 
makes the mouth of the third one water; ana-§-Serma bkd‘at 
al-zerma misbe‘ at-tnén w-mlarrem at-tdlet,” or “I am he who 
hides beneath a tiny shrub, whose fur gives pleasant warmth, 
and who is not seen except by the camel herdsmen; ana s(é- 
reti hafijje w-whbéreti zafijje w-la sisifni kid rai at-belij7e.” 
If the hare runs away, the Rwala shout after him: “Furry one, 
furry one, into the fire with him when he’s caught! wabra 
wabra w-ben-ndr mintabra.” If the hare shows himself. to 
men hunting with falcons, they shout: “Thy appearance is a 


28 RWALA BEDOUINS 


good omen to us, but we will show thee to the falcon; ‘araz- 
tina-l-hejr w-‘arazgnaé lat-tejr.” 

The hanzir, wild pig, lives only in Palriyneaeh and in the 
environs of al-Azrak, where it hides in the marshy thickets. 
The boar is called sihl, the sow Sibe, the sucking pig karnis. 
Instead of hanzir, the Rwala use the word tahzir. The flesh 
of wild swine is generally eaten. 

The sejd at-tas‘a is an herbivorous animal of the size of 
a six-months lamb, gray in color; its head is said to resemble 
that of a wether below and a human being above. It lives 
almost solely on the border of the Nefid, and its flesh is © 
very tasty. 

The wabr, marmot, is found in the same mountains as 
the ibex. 

The nis, porcupine, is particularly abundant in the en- 
virons of al-Ka‘ara, where the innumerable caves and rocky 
hollows of all sizes serve as its refuge. When wounded, it at- 
tacks a man by biting and scratching. Its flesh is very good. 

The kumfod, hedgehog, is also hunted, as its flesh is very 
tasty. Hedgehog skin is tied round the neck of timid camels. 
It is said that when they have worn it for at least a month, 
they cease to be scared. 

The gerdi is a large variety of jerboa. It scrapes deep 
holes on the uplands and excavates passages into them in 
such a way that the water does not penetrate even during 
the heaviest rains. Its flesh is not particularly savory. 

The garbié (or jarbu), a smaller variety of jerboa, pre- 
fers to dig holes in plains with soft sandy soil and forms 
long and easily recognizable passages immediately below the 
surface. These passages are known as netdka. When it runs 
into its hole, it immediately stops up the entrance with a 
heap of clay, kas‘a, for fear of snakes. This heap of clay is 
an unfailing sign that the jarbé is in its passages. If the 
Bedouin wishes to hunt it, he thrusts stalks or branches of 
plants into the passage at several spots and waits until one 
or another of them moves. That shows him that the jarbu‘ 
is trying to crawl through, and he kills it with his stick or 
tramples on it. If he has no time to wait, he tramples on the 
passages until he drives the jarbu* out. In its terror the ani- 
mal often penetrates the roof of the passage and escapes, if 
the Bedouin fails to reach it with the stick he throws. The 
flesh of the jarbi is very tasty, similar to that of chicken. The 


ANIMALS 29 


skin is removed and the carcase roasted whole together with 
the entrails, only the lower part of the legs being thrown away. 

The garbu° and gerdi boast: “I am al-garbu‘, the son of 
al-marbu*; on me ten people can easily eat their fill at supper, 
and pieces of my extremities will still be left in the scrub; 
ana-l-garbu° eben al-marbi mu‘assi ‘agara ma‘agera w-kasd- 
limi “ala-8-Sgera.” “If my forelegs were as long as my hind 
legs there is no ‘obejje mare, which could overtake me; law 
idejje tul riglejje ma talhakni kill ‘obejje.” “I am al-gerdi, the 
son of al-gerdi, who thrusts a man in armor into a mouse 
hole; ana-l-gerdi eben al-gerdi rammédj al-milbes bel-habara.” 
The man in armor always rides on a horse, which stumbles 
if it steps into the deep hole of a gerdi and throws its rider. 

An old garbu° was giving advice to her child. Amongst 
other things she said: 


Fuz bnafsak en Sufet zejmen 

w-halli-d-ddr tan‘a limin bandha 
ad-dar taged ddran ahejr minha 
w-ruhak lam taged rth sawédha. 


Flee alone if thou beholdst a mightier 
And let the dwelling mourn for him who built it. 
A dwelling, thou wilt find a dwelling better than this one, 
But a soul, thou couldst not find a soul such as the 
one thou hast. 
Elja hall at-tezil bdér kowmen 
w-md lis-sdéenin illa-r-rahil.” 


If the oppressor penetrates into the dwelling of his vassals, 
There is nothing left for the dwellers but to go. 


The far, mouse, is found everywhere. It penetrates into 
the tents, carries away food, and often gnaws even sleeping 
persons. A Bedouin recites: 


Ana-sharatni téli-l-lejl féra 

tahod zahabi jamm hegrah twaddih 
zarabtuha kasdi-lha bel-fekdra 

min gud melhi rah dammha jibarih 
w-adhol ‘ala hasndn w-sejh al-wabéra 
w-allah jizajje’ min halla ‘awdnih 
amm-ente jad zarbil mad bak heméra 
aksa gudak btdref al-gohr taflth. 


50 RWALA BEDOUINS 


A mouse woke me at the end of the night, 
Taking my food and carrying it into its hole. 
I fired at it, aiming at the tip of its back, 
But my powder was fresh, and therefore its blood 
immediately gushed forth. 
I will place myself beneath the protection of the fox 
and the chief of the marmots; 
Allah would destroy him who would desert his protégé. 
But thou, O badger! thou art not afire with courage, 
Thy courage extends at the farthest to the border 
of thy pits, whither thou bearest [thy children] 
to the pasture. 


A Bedouin was sleeping in the desert while on a raid. 
His provisions, zdd, were lying beside him. Waking up, he 
saw a mouse stealing from them. Wishing to frighten it, he 
aimed his rifle, which was loaded only with powder, at the 
tip of its back, in order that he might singe its fur. But he 
had fresh powder which pierced the fur, so that blood imme- 
diately appeared. Fearing the blood revenge of the mice, the 
Bedouin placed himself under the protection of the fox and 
the chief of the marmots, who are famed for never deserting 
their protégés, ‘awdnih, which include a neighbor, kasir, a 
fellow-traveler, hawi, a guest, zejf, as well as one who takes 
refuge with them, dahil. The badger, zarbul, rebuked the 
Bedouin for not turning aside to him in the desert, but the 
Bedouin disposed of him with scorn, saying that even when 
going to the pasture he did not venture farther than to the 
border of his pits; whence then would he derive courage to 
protect him from the revenge of the mice? 


The mouse laments: “I am a mouse, the daughter of a 
mouse, my forefeet were deformed by a mattock; ana-l-fara 
bint al-fdra kata‘at ideqje al-mehfara.” 

The greatest adversary of mice is the cat. The mother 
of all mice feared the mother of all cats. Once she was crawl- 
ing along the roof of a tent and perceived the cat below the 
tent. In her terror her legs were benumbed and she called 
on the name of Allah, just as children call when they tumble; 
and she added: “O Allah! if thou protectest me from this 
creature, I will never again demand thy protection.” Allah 
was very angry with her for this, and the cat immediately 
ate her up. 


ANIMALS ol 


Once the mice summoned a great meeting and agreed 
with one accord that every cat must wear around its neck 
a little bell which would give warning to the mice. The mice 
bought many little bells, and their chief, éebir al-far, called 
on the bravest to come forward and undertake to hang them 
around the cats’ necks; but so far no mouse has ever come 
forward. The little bells are lying in the storeroom of the 
mice, and the cats still torment the poor creatures. 

The hlend, mole, grayish in color, lives particularly in the 
depression of Sirhan. Once a mole encamped with an owl, buima, 
a swallow, rké%, a frog, zafza’, and a moth, Serdra. There came 
to them a man riding on a camel. They all entertained him; 
he was the guest of all. At the time when the morning star 
rose, someone stole his camel from him. All his hosts had 
just fallen asleep. The lamentations of their guest woke them 
up. They at once left the camp and went in search of the 
stolen camel. The mole searched for it under the earth, the 
owl among ruins, the swallow among herds of grazing camels, 
the frog in the water, and the moth among garments and 
carpets. The butterfly moth is unhappy because it has not yet 
succeeded in finding the camel, and throws itself into the fire 
with the words: “Rather into the fire than live in dishonor.” 


CARNIVOROUS BIRDS 


The Rwala divide birds into tj and hummar, the tjur 
comprising all carnivorous birds. 


Falcons and Falconry 


The main representative of the t7ur is the hunting falcon, 
sakr, which is often known as tejr. The Rwala buy hunting 
falcons from the settlers in as-Sejh Miskin and ar-Rhejbe, 
who either select young ones or catch fully grown ones. The 
best hunting falcon is al-horr. It is reddish brown, askar, 
with many white spots, trejwat, on its tail; or dark brown, 
adbas; or even black. The male falcon is called Sabbut, the 
female séhdna. The Bedouins relate that the young falcon re- 
mains forty days in embryo, forty days before it is hatched 
trom the egg, and that only after another forty days does 
it show whether it will fly or not; arbatin jowm féz w-arbatn 
jowm béz w-arbain jowm jetir w-ld jetir. 


32 RWALA BEDOUINS 


The best of the young falcons is called zén an-ndder; the 
second best, laziz an-ndder; the third best, kat 7e; and the 
one which is of no use for anything is tzbe’. The male pro- 
vides food for both the female and the young. It brings home 
habari (bustards) and hares. If the young one falls out of 
the nest, only the male 
looks after it. If the male 
perishes, the female is 
glad if she can supply 
her young and herself 
with jerboas and mice, 
which are not particul- 
arly good for the young. 
When the young falcons 
are able to feed them- 
selves is the most favor- 
able time to take them | 
out. A deaier in falcons 
gives them food until 
they are fully developed, 

Fic. 2—Hunting falcons. whereupon he sells them 
to the Bedouins. 

The catching of full-grown falcons involves less trouble. 
The faleon hunter, tarréh, seeks out a suitable spot among 
the rocks, prepares a hiding place there, places two or three 
stones in front of it, fastens a small net between them, shakes 
clay over it, and connects it to his hiding place with a string. 
To a thin cord he then ties a raven, a handful of feathers, 
and a pigeon. By means of a slender thread he fastens the 
raven to a large stone between the hiding place and the 
net and gives it water and food; he himself keeps in his 
hiding place with the pigeon, and waits until the cry of the 
raven shows that the falcon is circling above it. He then 
cautiously pulls the raven in, so that in its place there remain 
the feathers tied to the same cord, while the pigeon sits 
down by the net. If the falcon flings itself upon the pigeon, 
the hunter releases the net by means of the string, catches 
the falcon, and immediately sews up its eyelids, jekatteb at- 
tejr. After three or four days the falcon has become a little 
tame, jewdlef, and the stitches may be undone. The falcon 
hunter sells untrained falcons for eight to twenty megidijjat 
($7.20-$18) each. 


ANIMALS Do 


The Bedouin has to train the falcon himself. The chiefs 
generally have a slave who trains falcons for them and also 
hunts with them. If the chiefs wish to hunt themselves, they 
must also occupy themselves with the falcons, or else the 
birds will not be accustomed to them and will not return to 
them from their booty. The falconer needs a wooden stand 
about forty centimeters high, provided with an iron spike 
below and covered with leather above. Upon this stand, 
markaba, the hawk lives. On each foot it has a leather loop, 
sibk, from which there extends a chain, marbat, passing about 
halfway down the stand. The falcon can rise a little, but it 
cannot fly away (Fig. 2). On its head the falcon wears a 
small leather helmet, burku‘, which can be drawn down over 
its eyes and fastened under its beak around its neck, so that 
the bird cannot throw it off with its claw. 

Shortly before sunset the falconer, sakkdar, puts a coarse 
leather gauntlet, dess, on his right hand, removes the chain 
from the loops, draws a long thin cord through them, takes 
the falcon on his right hand, keeps calling its name, jad‘, 
and swings it to and fro, endeavoring to make it fly. The 
falcon rises and circles above the falconer. He fastens the 
other end of the cord to a firmly fixed peg, takes a small 
riding bag in his left hand and a piece of meat in his right 
hand, and with this he beckons to the falcon, calling it by 
name. If the faleon does not clutch, he slowly treads on the 
rope until the bird finally dashes upon the meat. When the 
falcon after a few days of training returns of its own accord, 
he lets it go entirely free. Then he obtains a hare, which has 
either been wounded by a shot or has one leg broken, and 
he sets, jihedd, the faleon and a greyhound, sluke, on to it. 
If the falcon catches it, he lets it have it all. When the falcon 
has caught and devoured several wounded hares with the help 
of the greyhound, the falconer goes out hunting with it. He 
fastens it on a small chain behind the saddle of the camel, 
takes a riding bag with him, calls the greyhound, and rides 
out beyond the camp. If the greyhound raises a hare or a 
habara bird, the hunter unloosens the falcon, takes it on his 
right hand, rides up at a trot behind the dog, and sets the 
bird on the hunted animal. The falcon looks round, lifts its 
wings, jifarfer, and, observing the prey, tala‘, flies after it. 
It catches the habdra immediately, but the hare usually slips 
away, hides, and thus escapes its beak. If the falcon swoops 


34 RWALA BEDOUINS 


down upon the hare, this is called at-tejr jedlih. If it succeeds 
in plunging its talons into the hare’s back, ‘alak, the faleoner 
rides up at full speed behind it, covers it and its prey with 
his cloak, slaps, jitabteb, the bird on the back, shouting “His 
kis,’ and endeavors to remove it, tenasnes. The falcon re- 
ceives its share of the prey only inside the tent, never on 
the open plain. A well-trained falcon can catch as much as 
ten habdri and twenty hares a day, but only if there is an 
abundance of game. But there are few faleconers who keep 
their falcons as long as three or four months, as they all 
get lost. In February and March they do not return, especially 
if they meet with wild falcons. 

The young Bedouin is fond of hunting with faleon and 
greyhound. He can then ride more freely among the throngs 
of his migrating countrymen and can approach his sweetheart, 
talk to her, or offer her his booty. He therefore sings: 


Ja lejt i gGerwen w-ja lejt li tir 
w-ku‘ajjeden nensef “alegh as-sddadi 
negi ma bejn as-salaf w-al-mezahir 
w-nesalli-l-gerwa w-at-tejr radi. 


Oh had I a hound for the chase! Oh had I a hunting 
falcon 

And a little camel! we would place a saddle upon it, 

And would ride forth between the leader’s troop and 
the migrating tribe, 

We would call to the hound, and the falcon would hunt. 


The gerwa is the bitch of the greyhound species. The 
leader’s troop of warriors, salaf, rides generally one or two 
kilometers in front of the pack train. The gerwa runs out in 
front and raises hares and habdri, which flee from the dan- 
ger behind the salaf, but are turned back by the migrating 
tribe. Thus a good falcon has the best opportunity for hunting 
between the riding troop and the camels with the baggage. 


At-tejr ‘ajja jda-l-kzeji jesidi 
7a alli ‘ajja jesid al-hebara 

la wa’ hasdjef naklejteh ‘al-idi 
mesehh ar-rizdn ‘afen at-tejara. 


The hunting falcon, O al-Kzej‘i! has refused the chase, 
Alas for the one which refused to hunt the hebara; 


ANIMALS BI5) 


A pity is this loss; I shifted it into my other hand, 
But it is like a mesehh ar-rizin, which because it is 
a sluggard cannot be trained for flight. 


The falconer seizes the falcon, places it on his hand on 
which he wears a leather gauntlet, unfastens the chain from 
its foot, and by swinging it to and fro in his hand compels 
it to fly. When one hand becomes tired, he shifts it into the 
other and repeats his attempt. The mesehh ar-rizdn is a bird 
of prey similar to the falcon. 


At-tejr ja ‘ammér ja édseb at-tena 
allah w-la leh gerraten nastahdi bah 
radat beh ‘arda min al-kerdnis hajel 
‘amén Satén muhhaha bigeridah. 


Of our falcon which was so winsome and ever captur- 
ing booty, 

By Allah himself! there is no trace which we could 
follow; 

It was joined by a hardy female falcon, a barren one, 

Whose marrow after two summers and two winters 
had gathered in her feet. 


The zerndse (pl., kerdnis) is the full-grown female falcon. 
The gerid are the falcon’s legs from-the talons to the knees. 
The female falcon had not paired for two summers and two 
winters; she had remained hajel, barren. In the opinion of the 
Bedouins the marrow — mainly that which has accumulated 
in the region of the shin — escapes from the bird’s body dur- 
ing pairing. 


Other Carnivorous Birds 


The geleme is a bird of prey smaller than the falcon, 
tejr, but larger than the basek (known also as éhala), a kind 
of hawk. It catches and devours all hummar birds (see below, 
pp. 837—41) and seeks particularly after al-kata’, the sand 
grouse. 

The mesehh ar-rizdn, a kind of falcon, is fond of eatching 
the garbu. 

The baz is the sparrow hawk. 

The hdejja is a kite. 


36 RWALA BEDOUINS 


The ‘akdb, eagle. Not even a bdSek, nor a geleme, nor the 
falcon itself is safe from the ‘akejb al-gerdan species. 

The nisr (pl., nstir), vulture, especially the habasi species, 
is shot and eaten, for its flesh is healthful. Seven pieces of 
its flesh dried in the sun are the best remedy for rheumatism 
and hemorrhoids. The patient should eat these seven pieces 
at once, cover himself with seven quilts, and sweat, and Allah 
will help him. 

The rahama (Vultur perenopterus ) iniesed at the be- 
ginning of the autumn rains and does not return until the 
beginning of the smd@k season. The Bedouins greet its return 
with joy, for they know that within ten or fifteen days there 
will be warmer weather. The rahama is unwilling to give up 
its booty and exerts all its strength to get possession of AG 
Hence the saying: “So and so craves for something like a 
rahama, twahham twahmet ar-rahama.” 

The sa‘adi or abu sa‘ad is the stork. 

The rark is a water bird. 

The rurdb, raven, is found in three varieties: the zdar 
al-bak‘, the oat is black with a bluish or greenish luster 
on its est the gab‘a, somewhat larger, has a short tail and 
very tasty flesh; the rurdb al-ak‘ak is the largest. All three 
species accompany the camels far into the desert and from 
them they pick ticks, kardd, and the larvae of the gadfly, 
heleme; but they also gnaw at the blisters under the saddle, 
and for this reason the herdsmen drive them away. If they 
see a raven settling on a camel, they call to it: “Fly away 
into the inhabited regions! rarreb rarreb.” Or: “Beware of 
the awl! The awl will prick thy throat! mhejriz jrbett le- 
hatak!”’ 

If a man undertakes an important journey and observes 
a single raven, he laments: “Oh! weary with weeping is the 
eye of him whom a single raven has approached, 7@ kard 
al-ein min gah al-rurdb whid.”’ He knows that he will have 
bad luck, and therefore he will prefer to return. If, however, 
he sees two ravens, he exults: “Oh! blissful is the eye of him 
whom two ravens have approached, j@ hazz al-‘ey7n min gan- 
nah al-rurabeén.” 

The young ravens are more wary than the old ones. An 
ancient raven was giving instruction to its great-grandson: 
“My son, do not trust people. If thou perceivest a man ap- 
proaching thee, fly away as soon as he bends down. He might 


ANIMALS 37 


lift a stone and throw it at thee.” “Granddad, do not be 
afraid for me. I shall not wait until he bends down, but will 
fly away as soon as I catch sight of him. Why, he might be 
carrying a stone in his hand, and then he could throw it at 
me without having to bend down.” 


NON-CARNIVOROUS BIRDS 


Non-carnivorous birds, known as hummar, are as follows: 

The habdra (pl., habari), a variety of bustard. It is dark- 
gray, with white feathers in its wings and tail, and is the 
size of an average hen. It runs quickly but flies clumsily. It 
is most fond of frequenting plains and valleys covered with 
perennials, and for the most part it lives on seeds and young 
shoots. When frightened it hides under a shrub and does not 
fly out until its enemy draws near. It flies close to the ground 
for a distance of one or two hundred paces, settles down 
for a moment, makes off again for several paces, and once 
more nestles close to the ground under a shrub or a leaning 
slab. It is very difficult to get within striking distance of it, 
because it flees continually. Only a rider on a horse full of 
endurance can weary it. Its greatest enemy is the falcon, 
which watches its movements from above and when it settles 
down swoops upon it like lightning. 

Originally the falcon was afraid of the habdri, for they 
were more numerous than his own stock. Once a wounded 
falcon asked for their hospitality. They received it kindly, fed 
and nursed it, so that it completely recovered. It seemed 
strange to the falcon that they did not hold any councils — 
together. Accordingly, it asked the hostess: “To what tribe 
do you belong?” “Weare the kém (subjects of) az-Zennara.” 
“And who is your chief?” “I am the chief,” said the hostess, 
but her neighbor exlaimed: “Not at all, I am the chief.” A 
bird which was flying past contradicted her: “Why, how so? 
I am the chief.” The falcon was very much pleased, for it 
thought to itself: “Surely I shall not be afraid of these. They 
will never attack me together. I shall be able to feed on one 
after the other. I shall have less trouble than if I were to 
catch only small birds, as hitherto.” From that time the falcon, 
tejr, has devoured the habdri. 

The habdra mocks at the falcon: “I am the habéra; in the 
region where there is no camp the shouting of the herds- 


38 RWALA BEDOUINS 


men [who have observed thee] scares me, SO that thou wilt 
not overcome me, my poor fellow; ana-l-hbdra barz ekfara 
hess ar-ra‘jan jegazzini mda tekwani jd mescini.” The faleon 
replies: “I am the commander assigned to thee, with very keen 
eyes, although I do not rub indigo upon them; ana hurren 
leé madkiren leé makhil al-‘ajn bela nil.” The habara: “I am 
like a snake crouching under a shallow stone, so that thou 
wilt not overcome me, my poor fellow; ana-l-hajje tahat as- 
sfajie mad tekwdni ja mescini.” The falcon: “I am a snake 
charmer, the son of a snake charmer, | charm the snake, 
so that thou canst not harm me; ana-l-karra1 eben al-karrat 
akra al-hajje ma tegini.” The habara: “Tam a tiny date, 
hidden at the top of the palm [protected by the spikes of its 
leaves], so that thou wilt not overcome me, my poor fellow; 
ana-s-shala bras an-nhala ma tekwani 74 mescint.” The falcon: 
“T am a climber, the son of a climber, I will cut the spikes 
with my knife; ana-r-rakkaj eben ar-rakkaj ahask (sic) as- 
Sowk besecint.” 

The na‘dme, ostrich, is found mainly in the Neftd, par- 
ticularly in the northwest part, also to the west of al-“Elejm, 
in the environs of at-Tawil, in al-‘ArejZ, and in al-Rweta. In 
the dry season the ostriches go far to the north, as far as 
the environs of Palmyra. On account of its dark-gray plumage 
the male ostrich is called zlim (or muzellel); the female is called 
rabda and the young, rildn. In the sma@k season the female lays 
ten to thirty eggs in shallow holes in the sand. Such a heap of 
ostrich eggs is known as dehw. As soon as the first egg has 
been laid, the guarding of the nest begins. According to the 
Rwala, in the daytime it is guarded by the male, while the 
female feeds, and during the night she does the watching. 
When the last egg is laid, three or four are rolled away to a 
distance of one pace from the nest. The bird does not trouble 
about these, but turns the others over and during the night 
sits upon them and warms them. The male bird, which remains 
by the nest during the day, does not sit on the eggs, as they 
are then warmed by the sun, but the female protects them 
against the night cold with her body and plumage. After what 
is said to be twenty-one days the young are hatched. The male 
then pecks through the eggs, which were removed from the 
nest one after the other, and makes the young birds feed 
on their contents. When they have finished these eggs, they 
go to the pasture under the protection of their parents. They 


ANIMALS o9 


are always led by their mother, while their father walks 
behind them and protects them from wolves, hyenas, and 
nsur. The ostrich has very bad hearing; on the other hand 
its sight is excellent. It is easiest to hunt near its nest. When 
there is no wind the spoor of the ostrich is very plain in the 
sand. The hunter follows it, hides behind every shrub, crawls 
on his stomach, and so draws near to the bird. If the male 
observes from a distance any suspicious movement of the 
Shrub or the hunter, it flees with the whole flock, which 
cannot be overtaken in the sand even by the swiftest horse. 
Near the nest the hunter can fire at the birds he is stalking. 
The fat of the ostrich, known as zihem, is a remedy for various 
diseases. 

The kandara is a pinkish bird about the size of a hen. 
It flies badly and runs in a clumsy manner. It is found solely 
in the Nefiid, especially on the precipitous slopes of the pits. 

The katra is larger than the habara. It flies very little. 
If attacked by the falcon, it lies on its back and defends itself 
with its claws. 

The farse is a dark bird the size of a small duck. It 
lives only in pairs in al-Hamad. It has no sense of hearing. 

The bawwa is half the size of the kandara. Two varieties 
live in al-Hamad, of which the darker and larger is the kidri. 

The kata’, sand grouse, is found in the interior of the 
desert only as long as the various natural reservoirs are filled 
with rain water. When these dry up, it migrates to the edge 
of the desert about a hundred kilometers distant from per- 
manent water. The kata’, hagal (see next page), and the 
pigeon are the only birds which regularly drink water after 
Sunrise and before sunset. The kata’ never lays eggs near a 
watering place, but in a remote valley covered with grass and 
bushes. It digs a tiny hole alongside a shrub, and the female 
lays three or four eggs, gray in color with dark spots, the size 
of a pigeon’s egg. The birds leave their nests only when flying 
to the watering place; otherwise they always keep close by 
them. In such valleys there are usually at least a thousand 
nests. When the young are hatched they run about like count- 
less tiny chickens and search for seeds. The kata’ never flies 
alone, but always in flocks. If the flock does not contain more 
than ten birds, it is known as firs; otherwise as raff. The 
Bedouins express surprise that the kata’, when flying to a 
watering place — even though it may be a hundred kilometers 


AQ) RWALA BEDOUINS 


away — never goes astray and never deviates from the straight 
course; and therefore they say of a good guide, delil, who has 
an excellent knowledge of the flat desert, that he is delil ka- 
tdwi. The kata’ is very fond of entering encampments, where 
it seeks for grain. Its arrival is known immediately through- 
out the camp, for it is always possible to hear the cry of the 
bird: “Kata? kata’.” The Bedouins say: “The kata’ have come 
to us with a deafening ery; would that Allah had not blessed 
the kata’; gdna-l-kata’ leh farkata la bérak allah bal-kata’.” 

The kérwan is a variety of kata’, but smaller; the outer — 
half of its wing is black. 

The hagal, partridge, lives in flocks of eight to sixteen 
in the depression of Sirhan only, where there is abundance 
of water everywhere. On hot days it hides in the bushes. 
The male bird calls his flock together by crying: “Kor, kor, 
kor.” The flock, thus alarmed, flies out but soon retires again 
and hides. If a Bedouin wishes to stop their escape, he shouts: 
“Hawgel6 hawgelo.” The male bird never hides but jumps 
from boulder to boulges watches the enemy, and warns his 
charges. 

The mré% is a smaller variety of the hagal. It does not 
live in flocks but only in pairs, and it flies well. 

The samakmak is a dark-gray bird the size of a small 
pigeon. Its legs and neck are long, and it lives on fish in the 
lake near al-Azrak. 

The sabri collects seeds and insects, but it also gnaws 
the young of the gerdi and garbu. 

The dakbah ummeh w-abtih, murderer of its mother and 
its father, is the hoopoe. 

The sammine, a small dark-gray bird, creeps among the 
bushes. 

The fsejsi, a small bird with a white belly and a dark 
back, flies only among the tops of bushes and trees. 

The sd‘w is a small bird similar to our finch. One variety 
is yellowish, another black and white. 

The gargara. 

The Ssa‘éle. 

The rké%, swallow. 

The saffdara. 

The dhejjen, a dark-brown bird, smaller than the hoopoe. 

The sumarmar. 

The mlehit ar-rajan. 


ANIMALS Al 


* The umm twejz, the turtledove, lives only in the oases. 

The hzdrv’ is found only in palm groves. 

The mkatta’ eats ripe dates. 

The umm sdlem is a small ash-colored bird which always 
flies round camels. If it flies up to a height of ten or fifteen 
meters, it begins to choke and at once comes down again. 
Its voice is very pleasant. Once the umm sdlem came to the 
ant and begged: ‘Give me supper for my children.” The ant 
disposed of her by saying: ‘Depart! I am constantly attend- 
ing to the harvest, but thou to singing; ana hammi al-ha- 
sdjed w-enti hammeé al-kasdjed.’” The umm sdlem replied: 
“And yet my voice is often more precious than the whole of 
thee with thy ragged tail, ana jowmen min ajjam trubi jeswaé 
7a mhaztkat ad-dnebi.” 


REPTILES 


Of reptiles the Rwala are most interested in the following: 

The zgabb, also known as abu hamad. Many declare that 
it does not belong among the reptiles, because it has four feet 
of which it can make good use. It is a large lizard with seven 
vertebrae. It has five toes on each of its feet. Its tail is longer 
than its actual body. It lives on plants only and is fond of lying 
in the clefts between stones. The Bedouins eagerly pursue it. 
If they catch it, they turn it over on its back in order to 
cut its throat. It then raises its forefeet to protect itself. The 
flesh of the dead lizard twitches for a long time. It is very 
tasty. Generally the Bedouins push the zgabb into the sand 
and light a fire above it. After about an hour they rake the 
fire away, dig the zabb out, turn it over, push it back again, 
and make another fire over it. 

The zabb was originally the chief of all reptiles, being 
the first one who urged them to prayer and who taught 
them how to bow down, while praying, and to kneel and touch 
the earth with their foreheads. When human beings began 
to increase in number, the zabb sent forth his spies into the 
territory inhabited by human beings, in order to find out 
what weapons the latter possessed and how war could be 
waged with them. The spies, who were the actual sons of 
abu hamad, informed him of what they had seen and heard, 
and he realized that war with human beings was not possible 
and that it would be best to hide from them. Accordingly he 


A2 RWALA BEDOUINS 


dug dens for himself and his numerous family. To the rest 
of his subjects he said nothing. When he used to come from 
his work into the assembly, his whole forehead was gray 
with dust and clay. His companions asked him: “What makes 
thy forehead gray?” “Constant praying, during which I touch 
the earth as is prescribed.’ One day the guards who had 
been posted on the boundary came running up, shouting: 
“The Arabs are approaching with dogs and weapons.” Abu 
hamad and his family at once hid themselves in the dens 
which had been prepared, so that none of them perished. 

The Rwala divide serpents into hajje and ddabb, the for- 
mer being any short snake and the latter any long serpent, 
irrespective of whether it is venomous or not. In poetry the 
latter appellation is always used for venomous serpents. Of 
the short serpents they are afraid of the viper, efai, which 
is found in the rocky desert, as well as of the batra and the 
hazaf, which live in the sandy desert. The latter crawl out 
only by night. During the daytime they dig themselves into 
the sand, so that the tips of their heads alone project. 

Of the long serpents the hanis is particularly venomous. 
It is one meter long, covered with patches of color, and swims 
in pools of rain water. 

The skin shed by a serpent, silb, serves as a remedy for 
various diseases of the eye. The Rwala all eat the long ser- 
pents. The flesh of the short snakes they give to camels 
suffering from the disorder of the stomach known as ross 
and from caries, rasis. 

The hardawn, chameleon, basks in sunny spots and nods 
its head at passers-by. 

The ab-at-thejh is smaller than the hardawn. It lives ex- 
clusively in the Nefid, where it hides in the sand, leaving its 
head alone uncovered. 

The malas, a reptile similar to the hardawn, is found like- 
wise in the Nefid. It is spotted with red and black patches. 
Its flesh dried in the sun and ground to powder is eaten by 
impotent old men. 

The solejmani (or glejmdni) and the habananijje are 
harmless lizards. 

The ba‘ersi (or brejsi) is a venomous lizard of the Ne- 
fad. When a man is bitten by this lizard, he becomes very 
restless. He cannot remain in one place. If he is lying in the 
shade, he craves for the sun, and if he is carried into the 


ANIMALS 43 


sun, he wants the shade. Hence they say of a man who runs 
from place to place: “He has been bitten by the brejsi, hu 
keris al-brejsi.” 

The ‘akrab, scorpion. 


INSECTS 


The Rwala are infested by the following insects: 

The ‘ankabuit, a venomous spider. 

The nahal, bees, which are found particularly in the rocky 
regions. They are tiny creatures, and their sting is insigni- 
ficant. Their honey has a sour taste. If anyone finds a swarm 
of bees, he endeavors to reach the honey. There is a well- 
known riddle: “It feeds in the waterless region, no man tastes 
its flesh, but its offspring is eaten by every passer-by; Zafer 
al-arzg mar‘aha w-mdad dak an-nds lahamha illa waladha ja- 
keleh kill min gah’; the answer is: the bee. 

The ka‘ejsi, a species of large ant, is known also as Sejh 
an-naml. It forms the subject of the following riddle: “It de- 
vours barley and is not a camel; it devours straw and is not 
an ass; it pulls down a dwelling and is not a mouse; it is 
black as night and yet is not night; jdkel as-satir w-ld hu 
bair jdkel at-tiben w-la hu hmadr jihark ad-dar w-la hu far 
aswad al-lejl w-la hu lejl’”; the answer is: ka‘ejsv. 

The naml, the ordinary ant, of which there are three 
varieties: tajj7ar, farsi, and darr. 

The arza, wood borer, a small insect somewhat larger 
than the ant. It devours everything that it can reach. 


CA PA Rid 


STRUCTURE OF SOCIETY 


SETTLERS AND NOMADS 


The Rwala divide human beings into hazar, or those who 
dwell in permanent houses, and ‘arab, or those who dwell in 
movable tents. Arab, therefore, is the name given throughout 
the desert to the inhabitant of a black tent only. The phrase 
is used: “‘Arabna rahalow, ‘arabna nazalow; our Arabs have 
removed, our Arabs have encamped,” in reference to members 
of the same kin (see below, pp. 48f.). The ‘arab al-zebila are 
members of the same tribe. ‘Arab ad-dira is the common 
name of the nomads who are found in the tilled areas and 
on their borders, irrespective of the tribe to which they be- 
long. The word ‘orbdén expresses membership of various clans 
or tribes. ‘Orban ‘ala dmejr denotes that in the environs of 
Dmejr are encamped members of various clans and tribes. If 
the herdsmen or hunters meet an unknown nomad in their 
territory, they inquire: “Ent min én 7a walad, where art thou 
from, man?” If he says: “Min hal-‘arab, from these Arabs,” 
they ask: “Fahmin annak min al-arab mar min ajj al-or- 
ban, we know that thou art from the Arabs, but from which 
of the various Arabs?” 

The dwellers in houses, hagar, are divided into karawne 
(the individual is known as karwdni), or those who never leave 
their permanent dwelling, and ra‘w (or ravjje), or those who 
change from their permanent dwellings during the rainy 
season to movable tents. After the sowing of crops in the 
autumn, the ra‘w or raijje leave their villages and with their 
flocks of goats and sheep make their way into the steppe, 
where they dwell both in black goat’s-hair tents and in gray 
tents of cotton fabric. At the end of April and in May, when 
the harvest is near, they return from the steppe to their 
houses. 

The Arabs consist of Bedouins and swdja (or Sujan). The 
Swaja have two things black, lehom swddén, black tents of 
goat’s hair and flocks of black goats and sheep. These flocks 

44 


STRUCTURE OF SOCIETY 45 


do not permit them to go into the interior of the desert, md 
jesarreztin. They are limited to the territory where there is 
abundance of water and where annuals grow every year. They 
encamp on the edge of the desert and are therefore known 
as ruhm ad-dire, relatives of the (people of the) settled coun- 
try; they do not undertake extensive raids, razw, and they 
acknowledge the supremacy of various Bedouins, to whom 
they pay a tax for protection, hdwa. The Bedouins are Arabs 
who breed camels exclusively, or at least in the main, and for 
ten months dwell in the interior of the desert, jesarreziin. At 
the end of June they go to the edge of the desert, jerarrebin, 
dwell among the settlers until the middle of August or the 
beginning of September, provide themselves with grain, cloth- 
ing, and weapons, and then return to the desert again. 

On the edge of the desert a constant increase or decrease 
of the population can be observed. If the government guaran- 
tees complete security of life and property to the inhabitants 
of the towns and villages, the herdsmen of goats and sheep 
are transformed into active farmers; on all sides they build 
cottages, hamlets come into existence, and the ra‘w and swdaja 
become peaceful settlers. They entrust their goats and sheep 
to the care of various clans of Bedouins, who do not go 
back to the open desert but remain on the border between 
villages and settlements and are themselves transformed into 
Sswaja. If there is no strong government in the populated re- 
gions, security of life and property disappears and there follows 
a decrease of population. The permanent house is exchanged 
for the moveable tent; the farmers become swdja. The former 
settlers, however, never become real Bedouins, because the 
actual Bedouins will never acknowledge them as equals. The 
term Bedouin is, hence, much narrower than the term Arab. 
In the view of the Rwala not all inhabitants of the Arabian 
peninsula are actually Arabs. Only those are Arabs who dwell 
in movable tents. Not all the Arabs, however, are Bedouins, 
but only those who spend the greater part of the year in the 
interior of the desert and who breed mostly camels. The Rwala 
are recognized by all tribes as being true and pure Bedouins. 
They are batidin az-za‘na wasiin at-tacana, they have very 
extensive territories and drive their enemies far away from 
their camps. They are ahl as-snan w-al-endn, warriors on horse- 
back, for they are able both to wield the spear and to manage 
horses. 


46 RWALA BEDOUINS 


BLOOD RELATIONSHIP 
Beni al--Amm 


The Rwala belong to the large group of tribes called 
“Aneze, which is scattered almost throughout the peninsula 
and is divided into a southern and a northern branch. The 
southern ‘Aneze comprise the tribes from which are descended 
the Ab-al-Hejl, Eben Sabbah, Eben Sa‘ud, and various clans 
of the Kahatan and Muntifez. The northern ‘Aneze are the 
Zana Muslim and Zana Bisr. The latter includes the Sba‘a, 
Fed‘an, and ‘Amarat. The former include the Weld “Ali and 
Rwala, who are also known as the Al Glas. All the tribes and 
all the clans of the ‘Aneze, in the opinion of the Rwala, have 
a common father and therefore are their deni al-‘amm, their 
paternal cousins. 

Only blood relationship on the father’s side bestows the 
right of eben al-amm. It is common to hear such a remark 
as: “His ancestor was not, at a remote period, our relation on 
the father’s side; how could he now be our paternal cousin? 
min kaddim geddeh ma hu eben al“amm céf jesir lena-bn 
al-amm,” or: “The Beni Sahr are more popular with us than 
the ‘Amarat, but the latter are closer to us by blood rela- 
tionship than the former. The Beni Sahr are foreigners, we 
and they have no forefather in common. Beni salr arla’ lena 
min al-amardat w-laéen bel-kurba hadéla akrab lena min hado- 
lak beni sahr agénib ma lena w-lahom gidden wahed.” 

Zbé‘an eben HaSman of the Sirhan tribe had encamped 
with the Rwala for more than thirty years (in 1909). He 
married a Rwala woman, and his sister Maha’ married Prince 
Sattam, to whom she bore a son, Trad. Zbé‘an undertook 
warlike expeditions and raids together with the Rwala, he 
wore their costume, his sons speak like the rest of the 
Rwala, and yet they still belong to the Sirhan. Their kin, 
or ahl, is not with the Rwala, but with the people of the 
Sirhan. The paternal blood relationship, ‘amd@m, and not the 
maternal relationship, hwdl, forms the kin, ahl. If one of the 
sons of Zbé‘an were to kill one of the Rwala, he would have 
to seek refuge with his ahl, the Sirhan, and the blood of the 
Rwejli would have to be expiated with the blood of a Sirhani. 
Kinsmen on the father’s side are more often needed than 
those on the mother’s side, ‘amdmeh alzam min hwaleh. The 


STRUCTURE OF SOCIETY AT 


former give muscular vigor and power, the latter wombs; 
‘amameh “asabe w-hwaleh arham. 

Among those connected by blood relationship, eben al- 
‘amm, it is prohibited to bind a captured thief, md ‘alejh ar- 
rbdt, or to attack after midnight or shortly before sunrise, 
which is the most favorable time for resting; mamnu ‘aleyhom 
al-bejat w-as-sbah. The blood price is fixed at fifty camels, a 
mare, and armed equipment. 

The blood relationship, beni al-‘amm, at the wish of the 
chiefs is sometimes granted to clans who are not related by 
blood and who derive their origin from quite different an- 
cestors. If the chiefs of two unrelated tribes, barrdni (or 
agnabi), are favorably disposed towards each other, they 
proclaim that they will bestow the right of kinship upon each 
other, hakk al-beni‘am (or hakk al-ben‘ame [sic]), as follows: 
‘“‘Between us and you there shall continue the friendship of 
kinsmen as between kinsmen related by blood; bénana w-bé- 
nakom saddkat al-ben‘ame swat al-beni‘am.” As such it is 
their duty to protect each other’s neighbor, kasir, guest, zejf, 
or fellow traveler, hawi, even though he should be their 
actual enemy. It is likewise their duty to acquaint each other 
with the movements of hostile troops. In reality such a friend- 
ship has no value if the chiefs do not pay heed to it. “It is 
fairly spoken but it brings no profit, teslih al-hacéi min rejr 
manfa‘a.” If a member of one of these tribes kills a man of 
the other tribe, he does not pay the blood price amounting 
to fifty camels, such as is the custom with actual benz ‘ammeh, 
but only seven, as in the case of unrelated tribes, agnab. If 
a thief from such a tribe is caught, he may be fettered; 
moreover, such a tribe may also be attacked after midnight, 
which is not permissible with the actual beni al-“amm. 


Al and Ahi 


According to the Rwala, their tribe is known as kabilet 
(or bedidet, or ‘asirt) ar-rwala, ‘asire having the same mean- 
ing as bedide or kabile. The clan and sometimes the kin are 
denoted by the word dl, which is often interchanged with the 
article al, although the meaning of the former is known to 
every Rwejli. Generally the word dl denotes the same as beni 
or eben, its meaning being larger than that of ahl. Feriz is the 


48 RWALA BEDOUINS 


name given to a group of kindred descended from the same 
ancestor; a feriz is also wider than an ahl. 

The ahl (for which we shall use the word “kin,” in a 
technical sense) is a group fixed in relation to the individual 
only, a man’s kin differing from the kins of his father or 
son (although all three kins in this case would include many in- 
dividuals in common). A man’s kin comprises his descendants 
to the third generation — that is, his sons, grandsons, and 
ereat-grandsons. It also includes his ascendants to the third 
generation — that is, his father, grandfather, and great- 
erandfather — and the descendants of these ascendants to 
the third generation from each. Descent is reckened through 
male lines only. Second cousins are the most remote collaterals 
that may belong to one’s kin. 

An easy way of determining whether X belongs to the 
same kin as Y is to count from X up to the common ancestor 
of both X and Y and thence to count down to Y. Provided 
not more than five individuals are thus counted between X 
and Y and provided, also, that the common ancestor is not 
separated from either X or Y by more than three generations, 
X and Y will belong to the same kin. This conception of the 
kin explains why every Bedouin knows his great-grandfather, 
whereas of his great-great-grandfather he is likely to be ab- 
solutely ignorant. My comrade Blejhan gave me the following 
explanation of his own kin: “I am the descendant of Zeri, 
who is descended from Mesreb. Zeri begat Darer and Saleh. 
Darer left Ibrahim and Barri. Ibrahim, my father, left me, 
that is Blejhan, Gian, and ‘ASw4n, while Barri’s sons were 
Defran, RaSid, and MerSed. Saleh’s sons were named Nedi 
and Glejdan. Nedi begat Nejtil and Dijab; Glejdan had Negib 
and Sajjah. All these are my relatives, my ahl, and nobody 
else. My father’s ahl reached as far back as Nassar, the father 
of Zeri and ‘Abdallah, but the descendants of ‘Abdallah do 
not concern me at all; they will not protect me and I shall 
not protect them.” Of Nassar’s father Blejhan knew nothing 
at all, except that he was descended from Mesreb’s kin (and 
therefore was known as Eben Mesreb) and that he had a 
brother, Ma‘rif by name. But how many generations there 
were between Mesreb and him neither Blejhan nor anybody 
in his whole kin could tell. Blejhan counted himself as being 
thrice removed from his first-cousin, Defran (i. e. by (1) his 
father, (2) his grandfather, and (3) his uncle). Similarly he 


STRUCTURE OF SOCIETY A9 


counted himself five times removed from his second cousin, 
Negib. The older a man grows, the more extended is the circle 
of his relatives, provided, of course, that he begets sons, for 
his ahl then comprises not only his father and grandfather, 
if living, and his collaterals, but also his sons and grandsons. 

The ahl of a Rwejli protects him from injustice and suffers 
for his guilt. The representative of this blood relationship is 
likewise known as ahl. This representative, that is, the ahl in 
the narrower sense of the word, is usually either the father, the 
uncle, or the elder brother. Sa‘ad, the son of Prince an-Niri, 
had a tent of his own; if he said: “I shall go to my ahi,” 
he never went into his own tent but into that of his father, 
Prince an-Nuri. If the latter was not present, he hastened 
to his older brother, Nawwaf. A solemn proclamation that 
somebody has been received into such and such an ahl may 
take the place of blood relationship. 

The ahi al-bejt denotes the wife of a tent-owner or the 
wife of his brother, the whole tent being under her control. 
The phrase ahi al-bejt is interchangeable with rd‘wet al-bejt, 
the mistress of the tent. A guest calls for ahl al-bejt if he 
wishes to have a covering for his bed. The Bedouin living in 
a tent of his own calls his wife ahi al-bejt, ahl bejti, or raijet 
bejti. If he has children they also belong to the ahl al-bejt. 
The wife never calls her husband ahl al-bejt or ahl bejti, but 
rai-l-bejt or rai bejtena, lord of the tent, lord of our tent. 
If she has a little boy, she refers to her husband as abu flan, 
the father of So and So. As long as the Rwejli lives in his 
father’s tent it is impossible to speak of his ahl al-bejt, even 
though he is married and has children. He and his family 
belong to the family, ahl, of his father. If the father dies 
and his married sons still remain with their families in his 
tent, it is known as the tent of the sons of So and So, beyt 
‘ejal flan, or the tent of their mother, if she is alive. The 
ahl al-bejt of such a tent is either the old mother or the 
wife of one of the brothers who has charge of the tent. If 
the wife of the oldest brother cannot agree with the wives 
of the remaining brothers, her husband says to her: ‘Thou 
shalt stay in this corner and from today onwards the ahl al- 
bejt (rdijet al-bejt) will be So and So.’ Among the Rwala the 
ahl al-bejt is the same as the ‘ajle of the other tribes. 

In its broader significance ahl denotes distinct tribes that 
are generally united for their mutual protection. Thus it is 


50 RWALA BEDOUINS 


possible to speak of the Ahl al-Gebel, by which are under- 
stood the various tribes of diverse origin that encamp in the 
eastern and southern parts of the Hawran mountain range. 
Ahl ad-dire are the inhabitants of various villages who never 
leave their territory, Ahali-l-Kerak are the various tribes form- 
ing the population of the town of Kerak, and so on. 

The ‘ajle indicates a family which has a house and hearth 
of its own, al-‘ajle ahl al-gddr w-an-ndr. Any settler who has 
a house of his own and in it a wife who cooks for him is 
said to have his ‘ajle. 

The word durrijje, descendants, is replaced among the 
Rwala by the word zana, which designates very distant de- 
scendants, irrespective of whether they have actually sprung 
from a common ancestor or the relationship is due to adoption. 


CHIEFS 


The word kowm indicates the Bedouins ruled by a chief. 
Thus it is possible to say: “Kowm eben sa‘lan, he is of the kowm 
of Eben Sa‘lan”; “the kowm of Eben Me‘éel are encamped 
there; the kowm of Eben Gandal also took part in the raid”; 
but such a phrase as: “That is the kowm of the Rwala” or 
“He is descended from the kowm of the Frege” will never 
be heard. When Prince Eben Sa‘lan speaks of gemd‘ati he is 
thinking of the various tribes who obey his orders and who 
hasten to his assistance, jefza‘un. Gemd‘a is almost the same 
as kowm. 

The rank of chief is hereditary in a definite house, dl. 
It is usual to recognize as chief that member who is most 
suitable by reason of his mental and physical qualities, nor 
need he be the oldest in the ruling house. Among the clans 
and tribes ruling houses persist as such until they die out, 
although their power may have become extremely weak and 
many families may have deserted them. A head chief or 
prince to whom the other chiefs have submitted either of 
their own free will or under compulsion and who represents 
a whole tribe or group of tribes is overthrown more frequently 
than an ordinary chief, and his rank passes to another kin. 
This most frequently happens if the hereditary head chief 
is not distinguished by warlike ability. He then directs the 
external affairs of his tribe as sejh al-bdb, while affairs of 
war are left to a man renowned for his courage and prudence 


STRUCTURE OF SOCIETY 51 


even though he may be descended from a different kin. Such 
a leader is known as Sejh as-Sdédd or Sejh al-harb. If he suc- 
ceeds in overcoming the enemy and concluding a favorable 
peace, several clans become attached to him. They obey him 
in peace, and there ensue wars in which the hereditary head 
chief generally succumbs and his house acknowledges the 
Supremacy of the previous military commander, who then 
becomes Sejh al-baéb as well. 


Traditions Concerning the Rwala Chiefs 


According to tradition the head chief of all the Rwala 
was originally descended from the kin of the Ka‘ka‘a. Sa‘lan 
was the son of worthy parents. Although he had no property 
of his own, he had charge of the camel herdsmen of the Al 
Mur‘az kin in the capacity of a feddwi, free-born servant. 
The herds grazed in the environs of a certain settlement in 
Negd. The Ka‘ka‘a once stole flocks of sheep and goats from 
the settlers and drove their camels into their fields. The 
settlers rushed out, captured the herds of camels, and hid 
them in the enclosed palm gardens. The Rwala surrounded 
the settlement, but they could not break down the defenses, 
and the settlers threatened that the captured camels would 
die of hunger if they did not abandon the blockade. Accord- 
ingly the head chief of the Rwala made an offer of peace 
to the elder of the settlers. The elder declared that he would 
not negotiate except with his acquaintance Sa‘lan and that 
he would not give up the camels except to him. The head 
chief called Sa‘lan to him and said: 

“Thy friend, siddiz, the elder of the settlers, will give up 
the camels but only to thee. Hasten to him and come to 
terms with him in my name.” 

“Thou art the head chief; it is for thee to command, it 
is for thee to advise.” 

“Hasten to him. Come to terms in my name.” 

“You will not fulfil the terms I make.” 

“We will.” 

“Will you restore the captured sheep and goats to the 
settlers ?” 

“We will.” 

“Let representatives of the Frege and Rib&an clans go 
surety for that.” 


52 RWALA BEDOUINS 


“IT, So and So, offer surety that the Frege will not permit 
a single thread of the settlers to be cut.” 

“IT, So and So, offer surety that the Ribsan will not permit 
a single thread of the settlers to be cut.” 

“Good, zén. Now give me thy seal ring.” 

“What dost thou want it for?” 

“How could I settle anything in thy name without thy 
seal ring?” 

The representatives of the Frege and RibSan pleaded with 
the chief to give Sa‘lan the seal ring, and this was done. 
Sa‘lan went to the elder and came to terms with him. The 
settlers returned the captured camels, addaw an-nawtkes, 
received their sheep and goats, and renounced all claims to 
compensation for the damaged grain. All praised Sa‘lan and 
said that he was a sdheb al-margala, gentleman. A saheb 
al-margala must have a courageous heart, kalbeh kawi, he 
must have a very shrewd wit to cope with difficulty, rad 
fetel, he must have a shrewd understanding, leh ‘erf, he must 
see clearly into the future, softeh bavide, tie he must never 
be too hasty, leh sabr. Sa‘lan remained in the settlement and 
did not return the ring to the head chief. The settlers, the 
Frege, and the Rib&San supported him, and after four years 
he overthrew the head chief and himself guided the destinies 
of all the Rwala. 

A_ struggle for priority ensued between the head chief 
Eben Sa‘lan and his Rwala and Chief a&-Srejfi of the Kwaébe. 
The latter belonged to the Kahatan division of the “Aneze. 
Originally they camped in Negd. Under their chief a8-Srejfi 
they advanced to the territory of the Rwala and encamped 
to the east of al-Gowf. They wished to act and rule in complete 
independence, al-‘amdl w-al-kwal lehom, but the Rwala declared 
that they must acknowledge the Rwala supremacy or else 
withdraw. Thereupon the Kwaécbe joined with the Sammar and 
Zefir and undertook a great raid upon the tribes obeying 
Eben Sa‘lan. They were led by the seven sons of as-Srejfi. 
With a&-Srejfi there was serving at that time as a camel 
herdsman a member of the Frege clan named Mehi. On the 
evening after the departure of the warriors as- -Srejfi said 
to him: 

“What kind of Rwejli art thou, Mehi? Thou art peacefully 
eating thy supper and thy kinsmen are threatened with de- 
struction.” 


STRUCTURE OF SOCIETY 53 


Mehi replied: “What is to happen will happen.’ Having 
finished his supper, he lay down and waited until all were 
asleep. Then he got up, saddled the swiftest camel, and rode 
out at full speed to his own people, warning them and fore- 
stalling the enemy. His people concealed their herds in a safe 
valley, opened the leather receptacles in which they kept their 
armor, dru‘, and prepared for a fight. The armor had been 
wrapped up in the leaves of astrongly fragrant plant known as 
gaade, partly in order that the metal parts might not damage 
the leather receptacles, partly in order that the moths and arza 
borers might not eat the leather. The fragrance of the ga‘ade 
was spread about the neighborhood when the warriors put on 
their armor. After midnight they rode out of their camps to a 
certain spot situated in the direction from which they ex- 
pected the attack. They unsaddled the camels, sent them back, 
hid the saddles, and occupied the rocks which almost entirely 
enclosed a basin covered with an abundant growth of grass. 
After sunrise the herdsmen drove the riding camels and about 
two hundred and fifty other camels into this basin for pasture, 
and struck up a merry song in order to attract the attention 
of the hostile spies. 

The spies discovered the herds and announced the fact 
to the seven sons of aS-Srejfi, who gave orders for the herds 
to be attacked. The warriors swiftly mounted their horses and 
rode out at a gallop to the defile leading into the basin. They 
were riding from the southeast and the wind was blowing 
from the northwest. As they were approaching the defile a 
Sammari riding on a spirited stallion shouted to the seven 
sons of as-Srejfi: 

“T smell ga‘ade! I smell ga‘ade! flee away!” 

“Liar! Where hast thou any ga‘ade around here?” 

“The wind is bringing me the smell of ga‘ade. Flee away !”’ 
He turned and fled, and Maslan, the youngest of the seven 
sons, fled with him. The rest of the sons, together with all 
the Kwacbe and the greater part of the Sammar and Zefir, 
rode through the defile into the basin and flung themselves 
upon the camels. The Rwala quickly occupied and blockaded 
the defile and surrounded the enemy. A furious contest ensued. 
Of the Rwala those who most distinguished themselves were 
ad-Dréi eben Mashtr, Migwel al Migwel, and Fhejd eben 
Ma‘abhel. All the six sons of aS-Srejfi fell, and of the rest 
of the enemy only a few warriors saved themselves on foot, 


54 RWALA BEDOUINS 


because on horseback they could not ride out from the rocks. 
Having ridden down the fugitives, the Rwala saddled their 
camels and attacked the Sammar and Zefir who were guard- 
ing the camels, water, and supplies. Only ten escaped, all the 
rest being either slain or captured. 

Of all the Kwatbe there was saved only Maslan, the 
youngest son of as-Srejfi. One of the Sammar took him on 
his camel, which was a specially swift one, and rode with 
him to his father’s camp. Having entered the tent, he sat 
down on one side with Maslan. After a while aS-Srejfi asked: 

“What is the news? al-‘elem.” 

“There is no news, mad min “ulim.” 

“By Allah himself, if thou wilt not give me news, I| will 
cut off thy head straight away; w-allah elja ma ‘allemtent 
lakta’ rdsak bes-sejf.” : 

He did not even look at his son Malan, nor speak to him. 
The Sammari, having given news of the fate of the battle, said: 

ee, as-Srejfi, dost thou not see the darling of thy eye?” 
A&-Srejfi was silent. After a while he called his wife, the 
mother of all the seven sons, who was sitting behind the 
partition and had heard all the news. He asked her: 

“Mistress of my tent, where is Maslan, thy youngest 
son?”’ 

Glancing at Maslan, she replied: “We did not bear, we 
did not bring forth, and we did not receive a son named 
Maslan; 1@ hamalna w-lad zanejna w-la gana waladen ismeh 
maslan.” 

Malan left the territory of al-Kwatbe and never showed 
himself there again. His mother, the wife of aS-Srejfi, died 
of grief shortly afterwards. 

The Kwatbe and Sammar wished to avenge their great 
defeat, and in the following year marched against the Rwala. 
This time it was to be finally decided who should command, 
and therefore the Kwaébe marched with their families, tents, 
and flocks, and established a war camp, mandh, against the 
Rwala, whose tents were pitched round the wells Gaw Mo- 
rejra and Haw‘a (or al-Hawa) to the east of the settlement 
of Skaka. The Rwala had previously occupied all the wells for 
a considerable distance around. The Kwactbe together with 
the Sammar made several attacks on the encampment of the 
Rwala, but each time they were repulsed. The Rwala, who 
were commanded by a war-chief, ‘azid al-harb, the renowned 


STRUCTURE OF SOCIETY 55 


Fhejd eben Ma‘abhel, never attacked but so pressed their ad- 
versaries closer and closer that they were unable to obtain 
water anywhere. Thirst tormented not only the animals but 
the people also. The women and children in particular were 
sufferers. For one delw (about ten liters of water) they paid 
one camel, They killed the camels and saved the water from 
their paunches. 

ASs-Srejfi had a daughter named Kutt, who was both 
beautiful and courageous. After a talk with the other women 
of the Kwacbe she decided that she would go before the 
countenance, bwagh, of the enemy commander, Fhejd, to the 
well of Morejra for water. The women prepared water bags, 
loaded them on camels, and rode up to the tent of as-Srejfi 
in order that they might accompany his daughter Kut on 
her venturesome expedition. When she had seated herself 
comfortably on her camel, she exclaimed: “O Fhejd, O Fhejd, 
behold, I am riding before thy countenance, under thy pro- 
tection.”’ These words were repeated after her by each of the 
women accompanying her. When the guards of the Rwala 
perceived more than a thousand camels approaching, led by 
a woman and ridden by women, they forgot in their surprise 
to bring the news to their leaders, and waited to see what 
would happen. When Kut came within earshot, she exclaimed: 
“O Fhejd, O Fhejd, behold, I am riding before thy countenance! 
ia fhejd tarant bwaghak.”’ The guards heard this. The younger 
men ran up to the approaching camels and, disregarding the 
warning voice of their elders, captured the best animals and 
the women who were seated upon them. From the camp other 
young men ran out, and within a short time Kiut’s whole 
retinue had become the booty of various warriors. 

Fhejd was not in the camp. He was making a circuit of 
the surrounding district. His old slave, hearing Kut declare 
that she was riding before Fhejd’s countenance, saddled the 
swiftest stallion and rode off to seek his master. He met him 
at no great distance, for he was just returning. 

As soon as Fhejd learned that Kat had ridden before his 
countenance and that she had been robbed and captured, he 
flew into a great rage, uttered a war cry, and declared that 
at the next sunrise he would burn every tent before which 
he found camels from Kiat’s retinue. Those who wished to 
escape this punishment must before sunset bring the camels 
which had been stolen, together with their entire equipment 


56 RWALA BEDOUINS 


and the women, before his tent. The kin, ahl, and the slaves 
of Fhejd at once rode through the camps and proclaimed his 
command. Fhejd himself proceeded with his old slave to the 
tent in which the captured Kit was sojourning. He ordered 
her camel to be saddled, asked her to be his guest, and led 
her to his tent, where he assigned the foremost place to her. 
At his command his slaves killed five fat camels and pre- 
pared an abundant supper for Kat and all the women of her 
escort, who had assembled with her before sunset. Not a single 
camel, not a single water bag, not a single saddle was missing. 
Fhejd’s slaves and relatives atened the camels all night, filled 
the water bags, and after sunrise the women took them and 
rode off with K&t to their thirsty families. Fhejd accompanied 
Kat to within shooting distance of her father’s tent. 

The water which had been brought was sufficient for 
five days. After that time the children were again erying for 
water, and many young camels collapsed with thirst. The 
women asked Kit to ride again for water. Kut declined, 
urging that peace should be made with the Rwala. At her 
prompting the elders of the Kwactbe sent a messenger to 
Fhejd with a request for peace, and offered the Rwala half 
their herds. Fhejd agreed and peace was concluded. This harsh 
war is known as Mandh az-Zirén, Battle-camp of the Two 
Starvations. 

The Sammar, the allies of the Kwache, did not accept the 
peace and threatened them with war. As- Srejfi then decided 
that he would acknowledge the supremacy of the Rwala and 
would join them entirely. His daughter Kit married Fhejd, 
and his Kwaébe encamped together with the Rwala. 

After Kit had moved into Fhejd’s tent as- -Srejfi’s tent 
remained without a woman in charge of it. Accordingly he. 
placed the female slaves under the control of a widow of a 
Sammar warrior who had fallen in the battle. The widow 
brought into his tent an abundance of food, such as butter, 
dates, and rice, and said to as- Srejfi: 

“Marry me and I will tend you by day and night.” “Good, 
I will see.” The Sammar woman cooked tasty meals for him, 
kept the tent in order, and urged him to marry her, but as- 
Srejfi put her off. When he was encamped with the Rwala 
at an-Nukra (to the south of Damascus), he suddenly brought 
into his tent a girl of his kin, bint “ammen leh, and proclaimed 
her his wife and the mistress of the tent. The Sammar widow 


STRUCTURE OF SOCIETY 57 


said nothing, but when on the second day as-Srejfi lay down 
during the heat of noon, she took a knife, cut his genitalia 
with it, and then escaped into a strange tent, where she de- 
manded protection, dahalat ‘aleyh. The owner of this tent ac- 
companied her to a great caravan proceeding towards Neégd, 
and she reached her kin, ahalha, in safety. 

The Rwala tradition explains that originally the Zana 
Muslim division were encamped in the vicinity of Hajbar, 
where in the valley of al-Glas they still have their heldl, 
palms. From there they are said to have moved towards the 
north. The first tribe to migrate was al-Hsene, whose chief 
was descended from the kin of Eben Melhem. To him was 
entrusted the control of the Pilgrim Road from Damascus as 
far as al-‘Ela’, in return for which he received a large sum of 
money from the Government. In the oasis of Hajbar several 
families of the Weld Slejm4an and the Weld ‘Ali still have 
their palms. The Serahin, who belong to the as-Sba‘a tribe 
and obey the chief of the kin of Abu Sama, have their fel- 
lahin there. 

At the beginning of the nineteenth century the commander, 
Sejh as-sddd, of the Rwala belonged to the clan of as-SwAlme; 
his name was ad-Dré‘i eben Gandal.' The kin of Eben Bnejje 
of the Mur‘az clan of the Rwala tribe supported the Wahhab- 
ites, with whose help Prince Muhammad eben ‘Ali overcame 
his adversary, ‘Abdallah eben RaSid, and for a time drove him 
out of the settlement of Hajel. To the house of Eben Bnejje 
belonged the important wells of al-Hebeke and as-Siziz. When 
in the thirties there ensued a general rising against the Wah- 
habites, the kin of Eben Sa‘lan of the Mur‘az clan distin- 
guished itself. At the head of the clan was Najef, the son 
of ‘Abdallah eben Sa‘lan, who had deprived the kin of Eben 
Gandal of the leadership in war. He had seven sons, who all 
died violent deaths. After his death the head chief was Ha- 
mad, who left a son, Sattam. 

Fejsal, the sixth son of Najef, won great renown. He 
established the power of the Rwala to the south of Damascus 
in the region of Gejdir or, as they say, in an-Nukra. He met 
in war the Weld ‘Ali, who were led by Muhammad eben Dthi 
eben Smejr. Several chiefs of the Rwala tribe, such as Eben 
Me‘gel, Eben Gandal, and Eben Mégejd, desired to make an 


1 Alois Sprenger, Ein Beitrag zur Statistik von Arabien, in: Zeitschrift der Deutschen 
Morgenlindischen Gesellschaft, Vol. 17, Leipzig, 1863, p. 226. 


58 RWALA BEDOUINS 


alliance with the Weld ‘Ali. But Fejsal forestalled them and 
in 1859 killed their leader, Bargas eben Mashtr, with his own 
hand and soon afterwards defeated all the allies of Muham- 
mad near the settlement of Bosra. Fejsal waged war success- 
fully and continually, becoming the supreme lord of northern 
Arabia, but on January 14, 1864, he was murdered in his tent 
by the avengers of Bargas, his brother Nahar and his nephew 
Hamdan.’ 

The head chief was now Talal, the son of Fejsal. The 
military leader was Hamad eben Bnejje. Among the warriors 
special distinction was attained by Sattam eben Hamad eben 
Sa‘lan and Hazza‘, the seventh and last son of Najef. Hazza°’s 
wife was Takla, the daughter of Chief Fajez eben Gandal, who 
bore his sons an-Nari and Muhammad. His sons Fahad and 
and MiS‘al were born of another mother. 

Sattam eben Hamad made a love marriage with Turkijje 
of the house of Eben Mhejd, from whom the head chief of 
the Fed‘an is descended. She bore his sons Haled and Mam- 
dah. By the winter of 1877—1878 Sattam had already become 
head chief.* Sattam died in 1904 and his successor was Fahad 
eben Hazza‘, who, however, was murdered at the instigation 
of his brother an-Ntri.* 


An-Nivi eben Salan 


The Rwala give the name of Se7h, and also Sujuh, to their 
head chief or prince. One may hear the remark: “I came to 
the prince, but he was asleep; tabbeyjt ‘ala-s-Sujuh w-hu can 
najem.” é 

The head chief an-Niri eben Sa‘lan declares war and con- 
cludes peace. Under the Turkish régime he provided surety for 
the taxes which the Government demanded from the Rwala 
during their annual stay in an-Nukra. In 1907 he paid £T 3500 
($ 15,750), in 1908 only £T 2000 ($ 9000), because many clans 
of the Kwatbe tribe migrated to Irak. An-Nari used to in- 
crease the tax by one half and allot it among the different 
chiefs, who in their turn would likewise increase it and collect 
from the owners of separate tents their allotment according 


2 Carlo Guarmani, Il Neged settentrionale, Jerusalem, 1866, pp. 196—198. 


3 W.S. Blunt, A Visit to Jebel Shanvmar (Nejd). New Routes through Northern and 
Central Arabia, in: Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society, New Monthly Series, 
Vol. 2, London, 1880, p. 81. 


4 Alois Musil, Arabia Deserta, New York, 1927, pp. 238—243. 


STRUCTURE OF SOCIETY 59 


to the number of their camels. After a certain time an-Ntri 
or his son would ride out with his slaves to the different 
chiefs and collect the tax. Those who escaped and did not 
pay the tax were punished, when caught, with the loss of 
one camel. The collected tax was punctually conveyed by the 
prince to the Government, the prince retaining the half by 
which he had increased it. From this amount he made allot- 
ments to members of the ruling house and some chiefs; thus 
the following amounts were distributed: 

to Haled eben Sattam £T 10" €$.675); 

to ‘Adib eben Megwel £T 20 ($90); 

to Fahad eben MaShtr £150 ($225). 

He himself retained at least £T150 ($675), and in ad- 
dition to this he sold annually three or four horses and twenty 
to thirty camels. 

For each of his 30 to 35 horses the prince buys 5 loads 
of barley at £T1 ($4.50) per load; for his guests, slaves, and 


loads of wheat at 15 megidijjdt ($13.50), 7 loads of burrul 
at £T 2'/, ($11.25), 3 loads of rice at £T4 ($18), 1/, loads of 
coffee at 100 megidijjat ($90), 2 loads of sugar at £T5 ($25), 
butter for £155 ($247.50); at least 100 rams or sheep for food 
at 3 megidijjat ($2.70) each; five camels for food at £T10 
($45) each; clothing and coverlets for his family and slaves 
and for gifts cost £T130 ($585). He has 80 rifles, and every 
year he requires at least 6000 rounds of ammunition at the 
equivalent of 10 to 12 cents for each round. The repair of the 
tents and the upkeep of the tent materials and ropes cost 
annually £150 ($225). He must send gifts to the chiefs from 
time to time and feed an average of twenty people daily. 

Insubordinate chiefs are dealt with by the prince where 
and as he can. Bhejder, a chief from the Frege, once departed 
with his kin when the camels were to be counted for the 
purpose of estimating how much tax each chief should pay. 
Prince an-Ntari sent word to him that he was to return im- 
mediately, but Bhejder paid no heed. Not until six months 
later did he come of his own accord on a camel to an-Niri, 
and immediately fetters such as are worn by horses on their 
forefeet were placed upon him. He remained fettered for a 
whole month. 

A weaker tribe has to acknowledge the supremacy of a 
stronger one and pay it a special tax, which is known as 


60 RWALA BEDOUINS 


htiwa. The Rwala collect the huwa from all the Htejm as 
well as from the inhabitants of various villages. The stronger 
the government, the fewer the villages which pay them the 
huwa. Al-Zerjitejn, Tudmor, as-Suhne, Kowm, and at-Tajjibe 
regularly deliver hiiwa. Every settlement and every tributary 
tribe has among the Rwala its brother, al (or hdwi), to whom 
it pays annually about 25 megidijjat. The ah is bound to re- 
store to the settlement all the property which his fellow 
tribesmen have stolen from it. The basis of htiwa is kuwa, 
force. Those who are strong compel the numerous settlements 
to raise hiiwa for them. Those who have no ah must rely 
only on the drawn sword, sejf tajel. Those who receive the 
htiwa must protect those who give it to them, or, as the 
Rwala say: “He who eats a young goat must protect its 
mother, alli jdkol al-gedi jahma ummeh.” 


CA ee bal er EN 
THE TENT AND ITS FURNISHINGS 


THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TENT 


The tent is made of pieces of coarse black cloth known as 
Sukka (pl., skak). The sukka is usually 60 to 70 centimeters 
broad and 15 to 60 dra (11.4 to 45.6 meters) long. The tent 
cloth is woven either of pure black goat’s hair—both the 
heavy variety, Sa‘ar safi, and the light, nél, being used — 
or else of cotton, with which only a small amount of goat’s 
hair is blended, this being called kumbok. The weaving of 
tent material is carried on by many inhabitants of the towns 
and villages, and the Rwala buy it from itinerant traders, 
Rhejbawijjat or Kbejsat, or from those who make it. An 
ordinary tent with one main pole, which is about twelve me- 
ters long and nearly four meters broad, requires at least eight 
Skak, each 15 dra (11.4 meters) in length. If they are of pure 
goat’s hair, sa‘ar sdfi, 1 Sukka costs 8 megidijjdt ($7.20); if 
they are of kumbok, a Sukka costs 3 megidijjat ($2.70); a 
Sukka of nol costs 5 megidijjat ($4.50). The back wall, rwék, 
of such a tent costs 3 megidij7at; the lower part, sefle, of it, 
1 megidijje (90 cents); 15 dra (11.4 meters) of a narrow strip 
of goat’s hair for strengthening the tent material, tard7ez, 
costs 2 megidijjat ($1.80); two poles cost 9 piasters (40%/, 
cents); and then there are the ropes, sold by weight: 1 rotol 
(2.56 kilograms) for 13 piasters (58'/, cents). Thus the smal- 
lest tent made of heavy goat’s hair costs at least 33 megi- 
dijjat ($ 29.70). Every four years, or five years at the most, 
a new tent has to be set up. 

When a man has bought the tent material, he hands it 
over to the women, who sew the tent under the supervision 
of an experienced old woman. The old woman gives the follow- 
ing directions: ‘“‘Draw the separate pieces, skak, close together, 
saffenhen; sew them with coarse threads of goat’s hair, hajje- 
tenhen; in the middle sew on the kotb [a small round board 
measuring about ten centimeters in diameter and having in 
the middle a circular opening cut out, through which the top 


61 


62 RWALA BEDOUINS 


of the pole passes]; sew a strip of coarse goat’s hair, tardj ez, 
along the edges of the tent; at the end of these fardjez sew 
(Fig. 3)° on leather loops, hurb (l)°, fastened to strong pegs 
[about ten centimeters in length]; through the leather loops 
draw and hook the ropes, both those which hold the tent on its 
long sides, atndb (h), as well as those which hold it on the 
short sides [of which the front rope is known as jad (7), the 
back one as rigel (k)]; hotten atndb hotten idén w-riglén. 
Turn down as a hem the upper edge of the back wall, rwak 
(f), and sew on this hem [which is about ten centimeters 
broad], mahalla, a strong thread, gerir, in order that it may 
be fastened by means of strong pins, hella; to the lower edge 
of the rwak sew on a strip of inferior material [about fifty 
centimeters broad], sefle; to both the short sides [for a distance 
of fifty centimeters from the edge] sew on pieces of lighter 
tent material [about a meter and a half long].” This border 
strengthened to a breadth of fifty centimeters is known as 
camara, and the material which is sown forms the side wall, 
ruffa (da). 

When the tent is to be pitched, its owner calls out to his 
sons, servants, slaves, or women: “Spread out the tent, fellu 
al-bejt (Fig. 4); extend all the ropes, marretu al-atnab; drive 
in the pegs with a wooden mallet, etebtu (sic) al-awtad bel- 
migema (Figs. 5, 6); wind the ropes round the pegs; tighten 
the ropes, ekrebi, at the front, a!-meédem, at the back, kafa’, 
and at the sides, éeser, by loosening their ends in the loops, 
hruba, drawing them taut, and securing them, ‘alit or ‘aljet 
(Fig. 3, m); prop the poles up, ‘emddn (Figs. 7, 8), first those 
in the front on the side away from the wind, esemku al-meza- 
dim (Fig. 3, a), then the main pole, esemku al-waset (b), thrust- 
ing it into the kotb opening in the middle of the tent, and fi- 
nally the two poles at the rear corners, ¢eser (c); when all the 
poles are standing, tighten all the ropes, karrebi al-atnab; 
attach the back wall to the windward side (Fig. 9) with iron 
pins, rawwezt al-bejt, and peg its lower part, sefle, down to 
the ground so that the wind may not lift it; do the same 
also with the side walls, ruffa; from the main pole and from 
two loops sewn on the edges of a tarika strip hang a central 
partition, kdte‘a.” This dividing partition, 1.6 meters high, 
cuts the tent into two compartments, the right-hand one 


5 This figure represents my large tent of the kind used by the ‘Akejl camel traders. 
Its rear wall and pegs differ from those of the common Rwala tent. 


6 In the following descriptions of the tent the text letters refer to Fig. 3. 


THE TENT AND ITS FURNISHINGS 63 


Fig. 5 


Fic. 8—The author’s tent. 
Fic. 4—A tent spread out. 
Fic. 5—Pitching a tent: driving in the pegs: 


64 RWALA BEDOUINS 


being for the women, mak‘ad al-harim, the left-hand one for 
the men, mak‘ad ar-regdal (or rab‘a). The partition with a 
hole through which the women are fond of peeping at the 
suests is called sdha mafguga (or kdtea mafguga). The ropes 
known as atndb as well as those called mkut (pl., mukt) are 
of hemp. If such a rope is thin it is called maras. Habl (pl., 
hbd!) is the name given by the Rwala only to the ropes which 


they themselves make of camel’s hair. 


FURNISHINGS OF THE MEN’S COMPARTMENT; 
“THE FIREPLACE 


When the tent has thus been firmly set up, they carry into 
it the whole equipment, elle. “Place the furnishings, efehku 
al-helle,’ orders the owner. In the men’s compartment the 
ground in front of the dividing wall is covered with a carpet, 
either bought, katifa, or else made by the Rwala women, 
ma‘aneka, upon which are laid quilts, stitched and filled with 
cotton, farse (pl., frdas), either of the European pattern, lehef, 
or of an Oriental pattern, tarraha. Upon these are placed pillows, 
one meter long and 30 centimeters broad, filled with wool or 
camel’s hair and sometimes also covered over with a broad 
woollen shawl, sdf. A pillow is often replaced by a camel’s 
saddle, against which it is easier to rest. 

The master of the tent and his guests remove their shoes 
or boots, which they place behind them against the dividing 
wall, while they hang their rifles on the main pole in the 
women’s compartment and sit down on the carpets, drawing 
their legs in upon it. A man when thus seated usually sup- 
ports his side, murtaci, or back, mutasanned, on the pillow 
or saddle. When a man is narrating a story, he sits on his 
crossed legs, mutarabbe’. During a meal he kneels on his left 
knee and sits on his left heel, kd‘ed ‘ala rkubeh w-nuss; while 
inspecting anything or testing a weapon, he kneels on both 
knees and sits on his heels, bdreé ‘ala rkubeh; when he washes 
his hands, he squats, mez‘i; if he sits down with his arms 
round his knees, he is referred to as mufahhez. When it is 
hot, he lies down on his stomach, mumbatah; when he takes 
a nap, jesaéée® (or jindd), he turns over on his back, muta- 
salzi ‘ala zahareh, pr lies down with his face resting on his 
hands, mufannes, or turns over on his side, lays his hand under 
his face, and goes to sleep, ndjem mingeda’. 


: THE TENT AND ITS FURNISHINGS 65 


* SORE A atic 


; Fic. G—Pitching a tent: driving in the pegs. 
Fic. 7—Pitching a tent: setting up the poles. 
Fic, 8—Pitching a tent: setting up the poles. 


66 RWALA BEDOUINS 


When the tent owner has sat down with his guests, he 
calls to his sons or slaves: “Dig out the fireplace, ehefru lan- 
nar”? With the more important chiefs the fireplace is always 
dug by a slave, who is entrusted with the preparation of the 
coffee. The fireplace consists of a rectangular or circular hole 
about twenty centimeters deep, from the size and form of 
which it is possible years afterwards to judge with certainty 
to which chief the tent belonged. It is dug with an implement 
called faz, which at one end terminates in a mattock and at 
the other end in a hatchet and is fastened on a long wooden 
helve; the double hoe, having at one end a mattock and at 
the other a pick, is called kaddim or tubal. The ordinary 
Rwejli digs a smaller fireplace, which is nearer the front edge 
of the tent. In the cold season the fireplace is close to the 
carpets for the guests, while in the hot season it is about 
the middle of the men’s compartment. The clay which is dug 
out is thrown into a heap near the hole forming the fireplace, 
hufrat an-ndr, and just below the edge of the tent. On it are 
shaken the ashes from the fireplace. The larger this heap, 
known as netile, the more hospitable is the owner of the tent, 
for coffee is prepared for the guests on the fireplace in the 
men’s compartment only and beside the fire the guests may 
warm themselves. Beside the fireplace is placed a pile of fuel, 
consisting of dry roots and stalks of various plants, hatab, 
and dry camels’ excrements. The best fuel is the dry wood 
of the raga’ shrubs. It gives off scarcely any smoke, throws 
out a great heat, and holds the glowing embers for several 
hours before subsiding. The worst fuel consists of the dry Sih 
which blazes up with a bright red flame, crackles as if gun- 
powder had been scattered on it, but it does not form embers 
and does not maintain the heat. The fuel is collected by the 
female slaves and women. If the chief has not a sufficient 
supply of fuel, he sends to the surrounding tents for it, or 
the men themselves bring it to him. 


FURNISHINGS OF THE WOMEN’S COMPARTMENT 


The women and the slaves carry all the utensils and ves- 
sels into the women’s compartment. Carpets and coverlets on 
which to sleep are placed in the corner against the divid- 
ing wall. Sacks containing wheat, barley, dates, butter, salt, 
sugar, coffee, rice, or tummen (a kind of rice), are stored up 


So sea SP 


toe a ee re WN ry 


THE TENT AND ITS FURNISHINGS 67 


against the back wall. The sacks are either black, made of 
goat’s hair, haras, or gray, made of wool and camel’s hair, 
‘edel, and there are also colored ones woven by the Rwala 
women and known as raffdrij7e. 


Fic. J—Pitching a tent: attaching the rear wall. 


The spindle, merzel, is shaped like a four-pointed star 
measuring nine centimeters in diameter and provided with an 
opening in the center. From this there projects the end of 
a pole, “ud, 35 centimeters long, in which a small iron hook, 
sunnara, is passed. The woman who spins takes the camel’s 
hair or sheep’s wool under her right armpit, while with her 
left hand she twists a thread about thirty centimeters long, 
ties it to the lower part of the spindle pole, and thrusts in 
under the hook. Then she raises her left knee and, placing 
the lower end of the pole upon it, twirls the spindle on her 
knee with the palm of her left hand, while with the fingers 
of her right hand she winds the thread. This, running through 
the hook, is now twined around the whirling pole, which once 
again has been allowed to hang freely. If the movement of the 
spindle gives out, it is set whirling again in the same manner. 
The women do their spinning while riding on camels and also 
while marching on foot. They keep the wool or camel’s hair 
either in their laps or in their bosoms. If they wish to have 
a stronger thread, they weave two or three prepared threads 
together on the spindle. 

Fabrics are woven on a loom, natw, the names of the dif- 


68 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


Fic. 10—A loom, natw. 


ferent parts of which as shown 
in Fig. 10 are: a, rds an-natw; 
b, sida’; c, hafa?; d, nira; e, “ud 
an-nira; f, minsdz; g, “dzba (or 
lehama); k, minsa‘; h, hatwa; 
j, kd‘a; l, Sisa. 

The best silk kerchiefs and 
garments are kept in a small 
box, sandtk, which has a thin 
lining of tin. 

By the side wall are placed 
the litters, either Zetab or kenn, 
and the saddle bags with bright- 
ly colored trappings and long 
tassels, mezwede. 

The kenn (pl. knene) lit- 
ters (Figs. 11, 12, 13) resemble 
rectangular cages, narrower at 
the bottom, and are made of 
wooden poles. The main poles 
forming the frame are called 
‘asjan (Fig.11,c), the four cross 
poles joining the main poles are 
called mibtaéh (b), and the ver- 
tical pole which strengthens the 
two back cross poles in the mid- 
dle and terminates in a wooden © 
knob is called rwé% (a). The kenn 
is fastened to the saddle known 
as bedd (or witr) (d). 

The Zetab litters (Figs. 14, 
15, 16, 17, 18) are decorated in 
the most splendid manner. On 
the back of the camel is placed 
a saddle known as witr, rein- 
forced with cushions, bdduda. 
Upon these rest two pairs of 
wooden ribs, zldéf (Fig. 14, f), 
each terminating in a cone, 
rwé% (a, 7). Two pairs of flexible 
poles, ‘asfdr (d) and za‘ade (9g), 
each more than 5.5 meters long, 


THE TENT AND ITS FURNISHINGS 69 


are supported on these ribs and are fastened to the cones by 
stakes, hosra (e). The poles are joined by cross pieces, jamb (h) 
and sdmuk (1), and arched so that they form two pairs of wings, 
genah (n). These wings are drawn together in the middle on the 
top by means of wooden stakes, lebad (k) and hani (m). In the 
middle of the whole structure between the wings a leather seat, 
soffa (c), like a deep bowl is stitched to poles called mibtah (b). 
Of the poles which make the wings the upper parts and the 
outside ends of the lower parts have leather or linen twisted 
round them. The remainder of the lower parts, as well as the 
outer part of the two cones, are gaudily decorated with tiny 
Shells. Here on a dark background there are small squares 
with red edges, and in the middle a blue rose with red leaves 
made of shells. Between the squares there are small white 
stars also made of shells. From the lower part of each of the 
poles marking the wings there is suspended a dark-red strip 
of cloth, hwdt (0), about twenty centimeters broad and pro- 
vided with tassels at either end which hang right down to 
the neck and tail of the camel. Red cloths or ribbons are also 
fastened to the upper parts of the wings. The Zetab is placed 
on the saddle with the pillow known as bedd and is secured 
by means of straps under the breast, hakab, the stomach, 
btdn, and tail, tafar. 

The appearance of a number of these litters during a 
march is impressive. If they are seen in the distance on a 
pink sand drift surrounded by a blue, transparent atmospheric 
haze, they resemble huge butterflies swaying freely to and fro 
in the air. In the almost entirely flat, grayish-white desert 
of al-Hamad, a grayish-white camel bearing the Zetab and 
covered with various gaudy decorations fades from sight, 
while the magnificent litters project above the horizon and 
glide along as if upon bright and regularly rising waves. 

In addition to this the women’s compartment contains 
wooden and copper utensils. The following are made of wood: 
a large wooden mortar for crushing grain, mihbds, with a 
wooden pestle, ‘amid; a marrdfa, or small trough with an 
outlet, te‘ebeh, and a handle; a kadah, or circular wooden 
jar; a dakkijje, or circular dish; a kdajha, or small plate 
from Mecca, meccdnijje; a karwa, or large dish which can 
contain enough food for ten persons; a ‘elbe, or circular vessel 
for the leavening of dough; a muhmar, or vessel measuring 
sixty centimeters in diameter and twenty in height, for the 


70 RWALA BEDOUINS 


kneading of dough; a miswdt, or large spoon for the mixing of 
foods; a met‘dbe, or deep vessel provided with an outlet, from 
which one may drink and for use in measuring, ¢él, butter. 

The following vessels are of copper: Zidr, a large kettle 
with two rings by which it is carried and holding 80 liters; 
tdse, the same as a Zidr except that 
it holds only 20 liters; twd7se (sic!), 
which holds 8 liters; ralldje, a small 
plate with a handle for the warming of 
butter; sahale, a dish 20 centimeters 
in depth and 42 centimeters in width; 
sahen (or sahn), a large shallow pan 
for eating from (Fig. 29); a kettle al- 
ways rests on three stones, hawdd. 

The women-also make various 
vessels of hide. They rub half the 
hide of a camel, safha, with salt, 
tamlehha, and dough prepared from 
wheat or barley flour, tatmorha. 
They then leave it for five to seven 
days rolled up in a shady place. After- 
wards they scrape away the remains 
of the flesh and all the hair and, 
after stretching the hide, they lay it 
in a tanning mixture made of arta or 
negib roots. The former is collected 
by the women themselves, but the 
latter is bought. Finally they rub 
the prepared hide thoroughly with 
the marrow of camel’s bones or with 
camel’s fat, widak, and from it they 
cut out and stitch, teharrezha, water 
bags, rdwije (pl., rwa7). 

These bags resemble large knapsacks. In the two upper 
corners are stitched firm leather loops, hruba, midway between 
which is an opening about 20 centimeters in diameter, famm, 
through which the rdwije is filled. When the bag has been 
filled, the hide is stretched over this opening and tied up. 
At the right lower corner there is left an outlet about two 
centimeters in diameter, around which is a stout piece of 
hide, ‘ezle. This outlet is stopped with a wooden peg, “ud, and 
tied round with a thin string of camel’s hair. Through the 


Fics. 11, 12—Kenn litters. 


7 oe 6 ee oe ees ee ee eS 


THE TENT AND ITS FURNISHINGS ‘CL 


loops, hruba, are drawn coarse ropes, ‘osob, by which two 
rwaj are always tied to the camel’s saddle, mesdme. A water 
bag of this kind will hold as much as 120 liters. Smaller water 
bags are known as krab. A Zirbe kwejtijje is made of oxhide 
and holds about 80 liters; a Zirbe bardddijje is made of a 


Fig. 183—Kenn litters. 


large goatskin and holds 60 liters; a Zirbe Sdmijje, made at 


_ Damascus for the use of pilgrims, is likewise made of goatskin 


and holds 50 liters, while-a Zirbe negdijje (Fig. 19) of goatskin 
holds 40 liters. Smaller than the Zirbe is the gud, which will 
hold 20 liters of water and is carried by a nae camel rider. 

The semil is a leather sack for sour milk. The gakwa is 
a small sack in which the herdsman keeps milk. The zarf or 
nahw is a leather bag holding about 15 liters, in which dates 
or butter are kept. The ‘ekka’ is a smaller bag which will 
hold 5 to 7 liters of butter. 

The women also make buckets, delw (pl., dli), of hide. 
A bucket for 2 to 3 liters is called kalas; a sifra contains 
10 to 15 liters, and a delw al-cebir 20 to 30 liters of water, 
so that two men are needed to draw it up. 

The water trough, hawg (pl. hijdz) (Figs. 20, 21, 22), 
also made by the women, consists of a leather bowl, tawra, 


12 RWALA BEDOUINS 


(Fig. 21, c), about 70 centimeters deep and 90 centimeters in 
diameter, the edges of which are sewn to a wooden pole bent 
into a circle. Three other poles curved in the form of semi- 
circles and with their ends tied to the wooden circle, hanijje 
(pl., handja), surround the leather bowl, while three or four 
forked poles, sarir (pl., Swérir), 90 centimeters high, support 
the circle and hold the trough above the ground. The water 
is poured from a leather bucket, delw (Fig. 23). This is a 
small receptacle about 40 centimeters in diameter and 30 to 
50 centimeters in depth. It is sewn to a circular wooden frame 
to which, by means of straps, wdime (pl., wadm) (Fig. 23, b), 
are fastened two wooden crosspieces, ‘arka (pl., “ardzt) (a). At 
the point where they cross a small rope, rsa (c), is attached to 
them, and by means of this rope the bucket is lowered into 
the well. 

By the fireplace in the women’s compartment there lies 
a sdg, or convex sheet of iron, 60 centimeters in diameter, 
upon which the bread is baked. From the main pole there 
hangs a large straw hutch, minsdf, upon which the kneaded 
bread is placed. 


USE AND TRANSPORTATION OF TENTS 


During long marches in the summer season the tents are 
not pitched. The adults lie down beneath the open sky, and 
a small tent, tuzz (Fig. 24), for the children only, is sometimes 
set up. This tent has a single pole about 1.2 meters high and 
measures about 4 meters long and 2 meters broad. A fuzz 
tent also has to satisfy the poorest inhabitants of the camp, 
who do not belong to the Rwala. 

A tent with no main pole, but resting on four corner 
poles so that from the front only two poles of equal height 
are to be seen, is called a harbis. It is 4 to 6 meters long, 
2 meters high, and 2.5 to 3 meters broad. 

The usual tent has at least one main pole and is called 
katba. It is 12 meters long, over 2 meters high, and 3.5 meters 
broad. A tent with two main poles is called bejt karnén, or 
mdawbel; one with three poles is called metawlet; with four, 
mrawba; with five, mhawmas; with seven, sabca wsat. 

If the chief does not intend to remain in the camping 
place more than two or three nights, he does not pitch a 


THE TENT AND ITS FURNISHINGS 73 


whole tent in the interior of the desert where there are few 
guests, but only a part of it; this is known as atlat. 

The tent is always pitched according to the direction of 
the wind. The long side facing the wind is completely closed 
and is called kafa’-l-bejt. The opposite long side is open and 
is called wagh al-bejt. The short sides are regularly closed 
and are known as kstr al-bejt. 

If the tent rope gets slack, at-toneb Sala‘ (or imkala‘), the 
occupants of the tent tighten it, jekarrebiineh. 

A guest who wishes to spend the night in a tent always 
halts his camels by the side wall of the men’s compartment, 
never by the women’s compartment, muharram. If the wind is 
blowing against the open front side, the owner of the tent 
shouts: “Change the back wall! Zabbeli al-bejt gana-l-hawa.” 
The women or the slaves at once unfasten the rwak, throw 
down the front poles, fix the rwdk in their place, and insert 
the front poles where the rwék had previously hung. 

If it is very hot and there is no wind, the mistress of 
the tent gives the order: “Take away the rwak! sawreu al- 
bejt.”” The women unfasten the rwék, roll it up, place it in a 
corner, and insert the poles beneath the front and back ropes, 
idén w-riglén, by which the side walls, ruffa, are raised at 
each corner. Thus the tent is open on all sides and the air can 
circulate freely. During the heat it is best to sleep with the 
side wall raised up, as this can then move freely and fan the 
sleeper. In the cold season a wall is suspended on the front 
side also, So that the tent is completely closed in, muhaggar. 

By the side wall of the women’s compartment sleeps the 
household dog. There is perhaps not a single tent among the 
Rwala which does not contain at least one watchdog. These 
dogs are strong, thick-set animals with short; shaggy hair and 
broad heads. In the opinion of the Rwala they are unclean, 
ma huna angas min al-éalb, and therefore they must not eat 
from any vessel intended for food or cooking. Generally a 
morsel of food, ‘e78, is thrown to them on the ground, or sour 
milk is poured out for them into an upturned sheet of iron 
used for baking bread, sdg. The dogs guard the camels and the 
tent, not only against various beasts of prey, but also against 
thieves who creep into the encampment during the night to 
steal an animal or something from the tent. Woe to the guest 
who is compelled to leave the tent several times during the 


74 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Fic. 14 


i ara 
3 


Frq@e15 


Fics. 14, 15—Zetab litters. 


THE TENT AND ITS FURNISHINGS 75 


Ere. 7 


Fics. 16, 17—Zetab litters. 


76 RWALA BEDOUINS 


night! They would tear him to pieces were he to go out 
unaccompanied by the master or someone they know. 

If the camp is to be moved and the tents struck, the 
mistress of the tent issues the order: “Take out the tent pegs, 
emsaw (or emsact) al-wted.” The tent falls down. “Take out 
the tent poles, hudi al-amed; spread the tent out, esfetu al- 
bejt; fold it lengthwise, so that it forms a strip [about one 
meter broad], etwt al-bejt.” With the large tents the ropes, 
which are as long as thirty meters, are unfastened and tied 
up separately, but with smaller tents they are laid inside. The 
tent, folded up to a breadth of one meter, is rolled up sym- 
metrically from both ends, making two bundles. When these 
have been rolled, daragow, to within two meters of each other, 
a tent pole is placed across beneath each bundle, which is then 
rolled once more, so that the poles are on top; the krat rope 
is wound round one bundle, passed over, and wound round the 
other. A strong camel with a mesame saddle is now brought up 
and made to kneel down, nawwalhow al-bair, and the women 
or the slaves seize both poles, lift the two bundles of the tent, 
load them on .the camel, make sure that the tent has been 
loaded quite symmetrically, take the weight of the bundles 
so that the camel can stand up, lawwarow al-ba%ir, and set 
out on the march (Figs. 25, 26). The tent poles and ropes are 
loaded upon the gindib saddle (Fig. 27), which is provided on 
both sides, in front and behind, with strong pegs, upon which 
the poles are supported. ? 

The troops of camels carrying the property of the in- 
dividual families are called mazhiur (pl., mezahir) (Figs. 28—31). 
At the head the chief always rides with his picked warriors, 
salaf. The warriors ride on camels, but saddled mares are tied 
to the camels or are ridden by boys. If the guard reports 
the presence of an enemy, the warriors jump from the camels 
on to the mares, and set off in pursuit. An ordinary march, 
rahala, lasts from eight or nine in the morning till two or 
three in the afternoon; a forced march, rahala gajjede, from 
the rising to the setting of the sun. 


CAMPING GROUNDS 


The camping place is always selected by the chief. His tent 
is pitched at the spot where he halts his camel and throws 
down his saddle. Around him are grouped his slaves and his 


THE TENT AND ITS FURNISHINGS 17 


kinsfolk. The remainder assemble together likewise according 
to kinship. The camping place is called manzel. The chief leaves 
the camping place last, rides ahead of all the others, and is 
the first in the new camping place. The herds are brought 


Fic. 18—Zetab litters. 


to a standstill, and the herdsmen. are told to let the camels 
have their evening pasture, ma‘assow. 

The Rwala do not pitch camps in the shape of an ellipse 
as do some other tribes. Each one may pitch his tent where 
he likes, for his tribe is strong and can withstand any enemy, 
A camp with less than ten tents is called feriz, one with more 
than ten but less than thirty tents, nege‘, and one with more 
than thirty, nezel. 

Before changing camps;the chief sends out one or two men, 
usually of the Slejb tribe, to inspect the pastures and water- 
ing places in the region where he? would like to encamp. The 
phrase is: “He has sent some one of his men to inspect the 
region, kallat leh kalléten min zilmeh.” 

If there is an abundance of rain, the Rwala are fond of 
encamping in definite areas during the various seasons. The 
best winter pastures, masta (pl., maSdti), are found in the en- 
virons of al-Hoér, of the Habra ‘Anka, as well as of Laha. If 


78 RWALA BEDOUINS 


someone asks the Rwala: “Where did you graze this winter? 
wén sattejtu has-sene,” he regularly receives the answer: “Our 
winter pasture was in al-Hor, mastana bel-hér.” In the spring 
they prefer most of all to graze, marba‘* (plural, mardbi‘), in 
al-Gfiiba and on the northern 
border of the Nefad, rabba‘na 
bil-guba. In the region of al- 
Bijaz between al-Giba, Tell 
“Amid, and the volcanic ter- 
ritory they find their pastures 
in the season of se7f, that is 
from about the middle of April 
to the middle of June, masjaf, 
whereas from the end of June 
to the end of August they graze, 
makiz, in the territory of an- 
Nukra south of Damascus. In 
the autumn their favorite re- 
sort, masfar, is in the environs 
of the Sirhan depression. If 
there has been no rain in al- 
Fic. 19—Zirbe negdijje, Hamad and al-Wudijan, they 
goatskin water container. make their way to the environs 
: of Tejma or to the eastern 
border of the Nefad, where it rains more regularly. 

A camping place in a dangerous region exposed to raids 
is called sdka. The greatest danger threatens the tents which 
are pitched on the edge of the camp, twaref. 

Years afterwards it is still possible to recognize an old 
camping place, marh al-‘arab. The fireplace hollowed out in 
the men’s compartment; the small piles of clay ‘and ashes; 
the three scorched stones by the fireplace of the women’s 
compartment; the piles of stones or fuel, upon which the 
beds were laid; camel excrements, dimne (pl., deman); luxu- 
riant annuals, which the camels avoid, as they grow on the 
demdn; all this awakens memories in the mind of the solitary 
traveler. | 


Poems Relating to Camping Grounds 


The Rwala have many songs in which the solitary way- 
farer speaks to the old camping place. : 


THE TENT AND ITS FURNISHINGS (9 


1. Ja dar ja dér arjas al-‘ajn wuddi 
—“okob al-mahal ja dér holli merife 

2. ana-nsedeé ‘an sdhebi wén meddi 
zajefec ana limhazhaz as-sedez zife 

3. kdlat ‘asirak medd sowbi w-geddi 
dtineh dijdren lar-recajeb muhife 

4, en ta‘tent ‘an sdhebak testegeddi 
telka” ma‘ al-bedwan binten nagife. 


1. “O camping place! O camping place of my beloved with 
thick long lashes! 
Thou wert deserted, and afterwards, O camping place of my 
darling! thou wert covered with densely growing plants. 
2. I ask thee concerning my friend, whither went she? 
I tarry with thee as a true guest and shake thy right 
hand, that thou mayst tell me the truth.” 
_ 3. The camp replied: ‘Thy beloved departed in the direction 
towards which I face, and hastened, 
So that between her and us there extend territories which 
fill the riding camels with terror. 
4. If thou acceptest my counsel concerning thy friend, then 
seek a new one; 
Among the Bedouins thou wilt certainly meet a maiden 
without blemish.” 


A negro serving with one of the chiefs fell in love with 
a negress who was serving with the same chief. After a short 
time, however, he changed his service and departed to a new 
territory with his new master. His love did not wane and 
after a year he set out to seek his friend. He reached the 
camping place where he had last seen the negress. This camp- 
ing place, which a year previously had been deserted and 
trampled upon, he found covered with a thick growth of 
plants. It had been made fertile by the ashes and camel 
excrements, so that after abundant rain the plants throve 
there. The negro dismounted from his camel, made a fire in 
the camping place — which was very easy to do, because on 
all sides there were lying piles of perennials and dry camel 
dung —, and acted as if he were the guest of the camping place. 
He tried to learn in what direction his beloved had departed. 

Verse 2. Wishing to learn the truth, he seized in spirit 
the right hand of the camping place, took it and entreated 
it to tell him the truth, muhazhaz ‘ala-s-sahih. This is what 


80 RWALA BEDOUINS 


the Bedouin does when he wishes to obtain reliable news. 
8. The camping place faced in one direction, and it was in 
that direction, sowbi, that his beloved had departed, but in 
haste, gedd. Between her new camping place and this old one 
there extended vast territories, dijér, in which the riding 
camels are threatened with danger, muhife, either through 
lack of pasture or through the raids of enemies. 4. E‘tent ‘an 
means “listen to me, rely upon me in this matter.” 


1. Ja dar wejn alli bié alam éal-jum 
w-la Zenn wakaf bgendbeé ngur 

2. wein al-gehdm alli bié alam mardum 
w-az-zuin bezedwet salafha tezu 

8. ahl ar-rb& muzabbenin kill mazjum 
twal ar-rmah muzafferin ad-drur 

4, w-en sah sajjah min zidd mazhum 
tegih natrat as-sebadja feztt 

5. sifren ji'dlezen al-‘anne bihen zum 
jid'an sakraénin al-meganin jut 

6. wa? helw ‘argathom elja gaw qvarzun 
carfa? sbéi mad halathom feztr 

7. sdraw lena ‘adwan sirna lehom kum 
w-lad zennetti ‘okb at-tefarroz rugu. 


1. O camping place! where is the man who was here a year 
ago today? 
No litter of my small detachment halts by thee. 
2. Where are the herds of camels which a year ago 
thronged upon thee; 
Where are the camels, burdened with their loads, fol- 
lowing the tracks of the riders? 
2 Here were the owners of large tents, protecting all who 
suffered injustice, 
Piercing the armor with long spears. 
4. And when he who was threatened by the enemy shouted 
in alarm, 
Troops of spoil winners hastened to his help, 
5. Upon white and yellowish mares, champing the bit, full 
of endurance, 
Urging the riders drunken with lust of battle that each 
should pay heed. 


THE TENT AND ITS FURNISHINGS 81 


6. Ah, sweet is their parade, when they ride before their 
chief shouting the war cry, 
‘Arfa and Sbé‘i, when none hastens to their help. 
7. They became our enemies, and we became their ad- 
versaries, 
And I think that I shall not return after the parting. 


A poet of the Sba‘a tribe encamping with a kin of the 
Rwala numbering less than thirty tents fell in love with a 
Rwala woman. After a short time war broke out between the 
Sba‘a and the Rwala, and the Sbé‘i returned to his own people. 
During the campaign, on riding across the previous camping 
place, he put his memories into this poem, which I heard 
from my companion Blejhan eben Mesreb. 

Verse 1. The Zenn are low rectangular litters for women 
and children. The nege* is a camp numbering less than thirty 
tents. 2. Zedwa is a track. As-salaf jezeddi al-mezdhir: the 
warriors on horses and camels indicate and prepare the way 
for the camels carrying the tents and supplies. 3. Ahl ar-rba: 
are the owners of the tents with a special compartment for 
the men. In the smaller tents there is only a corner reserved 
for the men, while the large tents are cut by a dividing par- 
tition into compartments for the men (visitors and guests) 
and for the women. 5. Ji‘dlezen al-‘anne: in their high spirits 
they chew or champ the bit. Zowm means strength or endur- 
ance. The riders are so drunken with the lust of war that 
their mares by their neighing remind them to pay heed. 
6. ‘Arzga means a row of warriors riding in front of the chief 
and shouting the battle ery, nahdwa, which among the Sba‘a 
is: “Hajjal al-‘arfa sbé%, the rider protecting the ‘Arfa is a 
Sbe1.” A Sbéi is a member of the tribe of the Sba‘a, who 
call their herds ‘Arfa. 


1. Aba hali 74 nds mani bmaljum 
w-azonn min jabci haleh ma jilgami 

2. git al-mrah w-sdr bel-kalb maltim 
mandzel al-hullan hom w-al-amdmi 

3. hada mesabb an-nar w-al-hafr matlim 
marka’ dlalen mut‘abdaten as-swami 

4. w-hadi merdbat hejlahom dadjmen dim 
hokb al-ujin mrowba‘dt al-hwami 


82 RWALA BEDOUINS 


5. ekfaw ema? tejren kalab raseh al-hum 
bfeggen ‘amik w-la jindarw wén hami 

6. adna? mandzelhom setata w-lamlim 
w-aksaw mandzelhom medéh an-na‘dm 

7. elja lefejt ad-dire ashab min kowm 
ehreg tara’? hamz ar-ragdl al-‘elimi. 


1. I lament for my kinsmen, O people! I am not among 
those who are abused, 
For I think that one who laments for his kinsmen 
deserves not abuse. 
2. I reached the spot where the herds used to rest and 
where my heart was lght, 
Where stood the tents of beloved friends and uncles. 
3. This is the fireplace with the small pit half covered in, 
And the spot where so often rested the coffeepots 
from Damascus. 
4. Here always were tied up their horses 
With the white circle round their eyeballs and their 
| heads almost four-cornered. 
5. They departed like a falcon whose head has been 
turned by yearning for flight, circling 
Above a broad ravine, so that no man can tell where 
: it flies. 
6. Their nearest camping places are between Setata 
and Lamlim, 
Their farthest where the ostriches are hatched. 
7. If you reach their territory, bring tidings unto my 
friends who are amid enemies. 
Behold! tidings are for men what hamz pastures are 
for camels. 


The poet was a negro encamping with the “Amarat, who 
fell in love with a Bedouin woman and was driven away by 
her relatives. They threatened him with death if he returned 
to their encampment. The poem was recited by Hmar abu 
“Awwad. It may be interpreted thus: the poet longs for his 
friends. He visits the place where he was last encamped with 
them, remembers and laments, not knowing when and where 
he will meet with them. 

Verse 2. Hulldn here means the negro’s faithful friends 
and also his beloved. ‘Amdmi are the Bedouins with whom he 
encamped and whom he served, for every negro has among 


THE TENT AND ITS FURNISHINGS 83 


the Bedouins a family whom he serves and whom he calls 
his uncles. 3. In the men’s compartment a small pit varying 
in shape and size is dug for the fire, so that years after- 
wards it shows who had encamped there previously. 4. Some 
clans have a preference for horses whose eyeballs vanish in a 
white circle; they call them howka’. 6. Setata and Lamlim are 
settlements in Irak. Ostriches are hatched in the Neftd south- 
east of Setata. 7. The plants upon which the camels thrive best 
are called by a single word, hamz. 


1. “Agni gezat ‘an nowmiha bédn al-asbah 
w-ajni gezat “an nowmiha w-asharatni 

2. git al-mandzel rab‘ana w-git al-emrah 
w-lakejt marka’ deldlahom dakkaratni 

3. ja dar lad tebcin amren maza’ w-raéh 
dowr as-sene ja ddr ergihom etni 

4. farakatni ja dar ¢al-bedr w-enléh 
jowm erhalat ja dar ma Sdwaratni. 


1. My eyes have had enough of sleep, morning has appeared; 
My eyes have had enough of sleep and have awakened me. 

2. I went into the encampment of our comrades and to 
the spot where the herds had passed the night, 

And I found where their coffeepots had rested, and 
these brought back much to my mind. 

3. O camping place! mourn not for the thing which has 
passed away and vanished; 

After a year, O camping place! hope and wait. 

4, She left me, O camping place! like the full moon when 
its luster wanes. 

And when she departed, O camping place! she asked 
not for my counsel. 


The poet was a member of the Fed‘an tribe, who went 
on a warlike expedition against the Sammar. He was wounded 
and taken prisoner, and when he had fully recovered he re- 
turned after about six months. His wife, of whom he was 
very fond, had fallen ill and died. Having learnt of his grievous 
loss, the Fed‘ani hastened to the camping place where he had 
last been with his wife and described his memories in a long 
poem, of which Blejhan communicated this fragment to me. 

In verse 4 jowm erhalat has the same meaning as jowm 
matat (or rdhat), she died, passed away. 


84 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


1. Jd id wa? wagdi ‘ala rab‘ana al-“am 
hadi mandzelhom ‘ala-l-‘ajn helwat 

2. tesma® zebih negtirahom tekel dammam 
uirdnahom min kitr al-wuktid hajjat 

3. misldfahom ‘asren ‘ala rabs ranndm 
ma jilhak al-metleb salafhom elja fat 

4. kat‘dnahom jir‘an elja habb lezzam 
tabra lehen sird al-emhér asildt 

5. muthejzemin belka’ mitl ‘azzam 
cam fdaresen darrabih w-al-hejl ‘aglat 

6. ma jilbestin illa kmadsen min as-sam 
wa-nsailhen min ‘amal daud zejnat. 


. O ‘id, alas! my heart follows our friends of last year; 
This is their camping place, lying deserted by the fountain. 


_It is as if one could hear the angry voice of their mor- 


tars, like to the sound of a great drum, 
As if one could see their fires fed with abundant fuel. 


. The journeys of their leading riders are burdensome 


} for the companions of Rannam, 
No pursuer can overtake their advance guard if they 
have passed him. 


. Their herds graze even when death is pressing on, 


For behind them there are armed men on noble mares. 


. They are girt with sharp swords like the sword called 


“Azzam. 
On how many riders have they inflicted defeat, even 
though their horses were the swiftest. 


. They are attired only in costumes of Damascus silk, . 


And they enwrap themselves in armor, the rings of 
which are of the best Datd’s handwork. 


This poem was composed by a member of the Dahamse 


clan; I record it as it was repeated to me by my companion 
Tares eben Melfi. 


Verse 1. A troop of riders is passing across a broad empty 


desert and approaches a fountain, within the vicinity of which 
they had encamped a year previously with their kinsmen. Each 
kin had pitched its tents at a short distance from the others, 
had its pasture in the neighborhood, and met the others 
when the animals were taken out for water. The poet longs 
for his acquaintances. 2. In the opinion of the Bedouins the 
mortar is angry because coffee is beaten in it, and it emits 


THE TENT AND ITS FURNISHINGS 85 


sounds of anger and irritation, zebih. A dammadm is a large 
drum, to the notes of which the inhabitants of villages by 
the Euphrates make merry all night. 3. The Dahamége belong 
to the “‘Amarat tribe. Originally they are said to have dwelt 
in the neighborhood of Hajbar. From there they were led 
forth by their chief, Gdé* eben Haddal, together with the 
Skur and Selka, and by swift marches advanced to the borders 
of the lower Euphrates. The kindred of Rannam, rab‘ ranndm, 
who set out with them at the same time, returned before long 
to Hajbar, not being able to keep pace with them. The Ran- 
nam were engaged chiefly in breeding goats and sheep, while 
the others bred camels. The flocks of goats and sheep cannot 
endure the long and swift marches which are performed by 
the herds of camels. The poet alludes to the feat of the Da- 
hamse and at the same time recalls that none of the numerous 
tribes encamping by the Euphrates and engaged almost ex- 
clusively in the breeding of goats and sheep could outstrip the 
former. All the tribes are compelled to send them gifts an- 
nually, if they do not wish to be the victims of their raids. 
5. A belka’ is a pliant sword or saber of Persian workman- 
_ Ship, covered with gray and dark strips and patches. ‘Azzam 
was the name of the Gdé’s sword. 6. Daid was a craftsman 
of Jewish origin, who made the best wire corselets and chain 
armor. 


CHAPTER V 
FOOD 


All the Rwala are familiar with hunger and fear it, since 
they know that it is difficult for the hungry to overcome those 
who have eaten their fill. They have a saying: “The attack of 
the sated on the hungry is very vile, fatt as-sab‘an ‘ala-l-géan 
fatten Ztwi.” But nobody can see hunger, and therefore nobody 
can deride a hungry man as easily as one who is naked or 
insufficiently clothed. If a man comes half-naked to his true 
friend, it grieves him, for either the man has been robbed or 
else he pays no heed to the dictates of decency; hence the 
saying: “Go hungry to your friend, but do not go naked to 
him; it rafizak gédn w-la ta’tih “ariqan.” 

The Rwala know that Heaven is the abode of God who 
looks after them and supplies them with food, while the hu- 
man enemy, who begrudges them everything, inhabits the 
earth upon which we walk. A father often reminds his son: 
“He who provides thee with everything dwells in Heaven; he 
who hinders thee dwells on the earth upon which thou walk- 
est; razzdk bes-sema’? w-al-hased bel-wata’.” It is useless to 
be overanxious about the things for which all long. On every 
occasion Allah cries out to man: “O my servant, thou hast 
desires and I have desires, but all thou canst do is to carry 
out the things that I desire; 7@ “abdi ent trid w-ana-rid w- 
ld lak illa mé-rid.’ Man therefore comforts himself with the 
proverb: “I desire, but Allah will nevertheless carry out what 
he desires; ana-rid w-allah ja‘mal ma jerid.” 

Hunger forces a man to theft. To take from an enemy or 
a stranger all that he has is not a sin, but to steal anything 
from a neighbor or fellow tribesman is a sin, and Allah does 
not bless the thing that He has forbidden, ma bdrak allah 
bel-haram. 

The Rwala eat regularly twice a day. Their main and 
most abundant meal is supper, ‘asa. They have this meal after 
sunset. Shortly before noon there is lunch, rada’, at which 
they merely drink milk or eat what is left of supper or a 
piece of bread from the previous day, bdjet. Only for im- 

86 


FOOD 87 


portant guests do they bake fresh bread and prepare some 
sort of meal. If a Rwejli has a piece of dry bread, homs, and 
can soak it in water, he boasts of having eaten well. Break- 
fast is unknown to the Rwala. In order to loosen the spittle, 
fekk ar-riz, they eat a grain of salt, a morsel of bread, or 
gulp down some milk. This is their usual breakfast, subuh 
(estebeh, take thy breakfast). On long marches they can keep 
going with this breakfast until evening, because they have no 
luncheon. The Rwala know that they will eat only after sunset 
and are grateful to Allah if he gives them a chance of eating 
their fill at least once a week. Often there is not even a cup 
of cold leben, sour milk, for supper. Suppers of this kind, at 
which only a little milk is drunk, are called rabik. 


MILK AND METHODS OF PROCURING IT 


Milk is the main nourishment of the Rwala. In order to 
secure a supply of milk for a whole year they make use of 
various devices. 

If a young camel is weak they kill it as soon as it is 
born, and for seven days, samh lejdl, they do not milk, jerar- 
zuha, the female camel, so that she loses her milk, w-hi tra- 
rez. In this way she becomes strong and can carry loads. If 
they have insufficient milk, they gently stroke, jemsahiha, 
her udder morning and evening, and after a few days the 
milk flows again. If they have a sucking camel, they lead it 
to her; in order that she may let it suck, they draw her 
nostrils together with a rope, jehazmu hasmaha bel-akdl, or 
thrust a long, strong needle, mahjat, through her nostrils. 
Thus they deceive the female camel, jezirtin ‘alejha zijar, who 
cannot smell the calf tied to her, becomes friendly with it, 
taradm, and lets it have milk, taderr. 

Sometimes they remove the newly-born calf, garraw laha, 
before the female camel notices and smells it. Then they kill 
it, tie up the female camel, and fasten to her an older calf, 
which they smear with a little blood from the calf that has 
been killed. The female camel licks it, makes friends with it, 
ramat, and lets it suck. In this way one calf sucks two female 
camels. This method is called gerdr. Often they kill five and 
even seven young camels, and to all the female camels they 
bring the same calf, and all of them let it suck. This is called 
mugamma‘a. The female camel which gives the least milk they 


88 RWALA BEDOUINS 


leave to the calf, but on the udders of the rest they place thick 
nets, samle, tied across the hip and under the tail, or they 
fasten to every nipple a firm peg sharpened at both ends so 
that the young cannot suck. 

When they wish to milk, they remove the net or the 
pegs, jabheluinaha, call the calf, and wait until the milk flows. 
The female camel gives most 
milk in the morning. As soon 
as her left forefoot is untied 
she rises and the young camel 
runs up; it is then possible 
to milk. The owner calls the 
herdsman from the tent: “Such 
and such a camel has risen 
yonder, milk her; j@ flan an- 
nika al-flane tdrat ehlebha.” 
The milker stands on the left 
side, the calf tries to suck from 
the right. The camel gives her 

Win oecA Wateone ae milk when she sees that the 
(see p. 71). young one is approaching the 
udder, ‘attafat an-ndka ‘a'a 
waladha; this is called ta‘tif or jihenn al-kalb ‘ala-l-kalb. The 
milker does not hasten; he holds the nipple with three fingers, 
pressing with the thumb, without pulling; the pressure makes 
the milk spurt in a strong jet, suhb, into a wooden vessel, 
Zedah. During the milking the calf has to be soothed and the 
female camel appeased, which the milker does by calling her 
name, for instance: “Héj 74 calija héj jd ‘alija.” If the calf 
runs away, the female camel withholds the milk, fawwatat 
an-nika. 

If a traveler wishes to drink quickly, he milks into 
his hand; otherwise they always milk into a wooden pot, Ze- 
dah, or small leather pouch, sakwa. The milker takes care 
that the milk does not splash on the ground, which would — 
mean an unnecessary loss. Anyone who squanders something’ 
useful or necessary is compared to a milker who lets the milk 
flow on the ground, and there is a saying: “The jet of milk 
did not splash into my hand or into the pot, Suhben tafah 
la bidi w-ld bel-Zedah.” From one female camel the amount 
of milk which can be obtained each day is from one to seven 
liters. The better the pasture, especially when it consists of 


FOOD 89 


good annuals, the more milk is given. The fertile camel gives 
milk for twelve months, the barren camel for even longer. 
After a year the she-camel is conducted to the male. If she 
conceives, she loses the milk and bites and kicks her calf 
when it tries to suck. 

The calf generally ceases to suck after a year, but many 
wish to continue even after 
that. Such calves are known 
as ‘abet. In order that a calf 
of this sort may not steal 
milk, a sharpened peg, heldl, 
is inserted under its nostrils, 
and if it attempts to suck the 
peg pricks the female camel, 
so that she at once drives the 
calf away. 

The milk is either drunk 
warm immediately after it has 
been obtained, mahaz, or is 
heated, sahin. The freshly ob- Fie, 21-5 water trough, haw 
tained milk is called halib. If Geetp ie woe 
it is poured, jehaknitineh, into 
a leather bag, semil, it is called leben, even though it may 
still be sweet. In the bag it becomes sour very quickly, jeta‘- 
‘am (or mta“am). The Rwala do not churn camel’s milk. If 
they have too much, they boil it and from the curds make 
small cheeses which they eat either dry or stewed with bread. 

A milking camel is called halldba. It is not sold at any 
price, as it nourishes the whole family. Every Rwejli is fond of 
milk, either fresh or sour. Those who cannot get accustomed 
to it are given the nickname of felh. The Rwala woman 
reminds her daughter of the white leben as soon as she 
wakes her in the morning, exclaiming: “O my daughter, white 
as milk! why art thou idle like the gazelle, taking thy ease 
until the dew has departed? 74 bunajje ja leben wazha? w-al- 
rzejjel bel-mendm azha’.” The freshly obtained milk has a salt 
taste, because the camels are fond of grazing on salt herbs. 
In consequence of this it has an aperient effect, especially on 
the foreigner; but after a short time he gets accustomed to 
it, likes it very much, and suffers no ill effects. If the camel 
has been feeding for a long time on fragrant or strong-smell- 
ing herbs, the odor can be noticed in the milk. 


90 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Milk is the chief nutriment of the Rwala. Many families 
live exclusively on it for months at a time; they suffer hunger 
when there is no abundant pasture and the camels accordingly 
have little to eat. As they cannot then provide themselves 
with other food in the interior of the desert, they seek it in 
the settled territory. The Rwala say: ‘We feed our children on 
the sour milk of our camels, 
mesazzemin ‘ejalna min leben 
helalna.” 


WHEAT AND OTHER GRAINS 


The Bedouins are convinced 
that the felldhin are obliged 
to supply them with food. 
Everywhere the remark may 
be heard: “The felldh must 
provide’ food for the Bedouins, 
al-bedw ‘ejsathom ‘ala-l-fellah.” 

ives 305 Aaoabeneee aa ahead If the fellah does not give it to 

on a camel (see p. 71). them of his own free will, they 
have the right to take every- 
thing they find, and therefore they declare: “Take from the 
fellah whatever ye find (or like), hod min al-fellah ma lah.” 
Before the Rwala depart. into the interior of the desert, 
jesarreztin, they provide themselves with wheat necessary for 
sustenance. The allowance is one load per person, the load 
being the amount carried by a eamel, about 150 kilograms. 
In addition to this the ordinary Bedouin carries an additional 
load for his guests. The head chief usually has fifty to sixty 
loads of flour and wheat, because he has to feed not only nu- 
merous guests but also many of his fellow tribesmen whose 
supplies enemies have stolen. These are known as zuuf or 
halal. The men go from tent to tent and feed as guests; the 
women beseech the mistress of the tent: “Give me supper, lit- 
tle sister! give me supper! ‘assini 74 hajze ‘assini.” When they 
receive the wheat they carry it to the children and the sick. 
From the wheat is prepared every day a food called ‘e78, 
bread being rarely baked. The tribesmen grind the wheat 
grains themselves, only the chiefs taking milled flour into the 
interior of the desert. The Rwala do not believe that milled 
flour is genuine wheat, for they say: “Wheat is genuine only 


FOOD 91 


as long as it is in grain, al-kamh alli ba‘ad habben sahth.” 
The wheat is beaten in a wooden mortar, mihbds, with a 
pestle, ‘amid, or it is ground in a small mill, rha°’. These mills 
are made by the Rwala women, who hew two pieces of basalt 
or lava into shape, hollow out an aperture, provide them with 
an iron axle, kalb, and make a wooden handle, hddi, the mill 
now being completed. If they 
wish to use it for grinding, 
they spread a piece of leather 
or closely woven stuff, tfdal, on 
the ground, put the mill on 
it, pick up the grains in the 
left hand, shake them into the 
aperture in the upper stone, 
al-fowka, and the flour falls 
into the lower one, at-tahta, 
and upon the outspread rug, 
jika‘ ‘ala-t-tfal. While grind- 
ing they sing simple songs 
such as: Fic. 23—A leather bucket, delw 

“As the mill handle turns (see p. 72). 

(and yet does not leave the 

lower stone, would that this were so among people!) may each 
woman possess her beloved; ‘ud ar-raha md dirah killen tahod 
‘asirah.” Or: 

“Today I am grieved, but the servant of the Bountiful 
is (appointed by him as) our guardian; al-jowm ana wag- 
‘ana “abd al-kerim mwassdna.” 

They never grind for the purpose of storing up supplies; 
at the most they grind enough to leave something over for 
bread to be offered to guests for breakfast on the morrow. 

If they wish to bake bread, they shake the flour on a 
sahn pan (or ‘elbe), salt it, add water, and knead it into a 
dough in a mulmar. This they mix into a large loaf, take 
it out of the muhmar, place it on a piece of leather or on 
a cloak, turn the muhmar or sahn over, pull off a piece of 
the dough, and from it knead a large thin cake, tetahhen, on 
the sahn. When it has covered the whole of the sahn, a woman 
seizes it in both hands and, throwing it up in the air, draws 
it out more and more, till sometimes it is as thin as paper, 
tenassef tansif. The ready-made cake she places on a minsédf. 
Before this she takes a deep bulging sheet of iron, sdj, about 


92 RWALA BEDOUINS 


60 centimeters in diameter, turns it over on three stones above 
a fire, with a quick movement lays the cake on the convex 
side, and takes care that it does not burn. A cake of this kind 
is called rarif; if it is as thin as paper it is called rahif; and 
if it is thick, gerim. 

For breakfast they sometimes prepare a thin batter for 
the guests, and this is poured into the concave side of the 
sag and baked. This bread, called masli, when fresh tastes 
almost like our pancakes. 

If bread is to be baked quickly, they knead one large 
eake from the dough, place it on the hot ashes, cover it with 
them, and light another fire above the ashes. It is turned 
once or twice and called gamrijze. 

Leavened bread is eaten only in the cold season. They 
prepare the loaf in the evening, add a piece of yeast, hamer, 
to the dough, and bake the bread in the morning. The Rwala 
prefer unleavened bread, fatir. They like to have the bread 
always fresh, gedid. Bread of yesterday’s baking, bdjet, must 
not be given to guests. 

In the season of abundance, rabi‘, they do not bake bread 
at all, and at other times seldom and usually only for guests. 
In two-thirds of the tents bread is not baked all the year 
round, and many of the women taste it only once or twice 
throughout their lives. They have an expression of praise: 
“This is the tent of bread; here bread is baked. So and So 
is very rich and bountiful; he has bread, he is the master 
of bread, rd‘i-l-hubez.” 

In addition to milk the Rwala live mostly on ‘eis. This 
is boiled from crushed wheat or wheat pounded in a mill. 
Among the chiefs the wheat is ground into groats, geris. On 
the crushed or ground wheat water is poured, salt is added, 
and it is boiled into a thick paste. If they have enough leben, 
the women pour it upon the ‘e/S, tebajjezg al-‘ejs, making be- 
jdza. ‘Ejs is prepared almost daily for supper. What is left 
over is served for next day’s luncheon and eaten cold, beride. 

If the Rwala are proceeding on a short journey and know 
that they will find no tents for two or three days, they roast 
a little wheat on the ség, shake it into a leather sack, and 
feed on it. This is called hamisa. As the old men do not have 
good teeth, instead of roasted wheat grain they take a couple 
of handfuls of flour and eat this without any preparation. 
They call it lehme. 


FOOD 93 


Instead of wheat the poorer of the Rwala obtain white 
sorghum, dera’ béza’, which costs half as much and can be 
used in exactly the same way as wheat. From it they bake 
bread called turmud, boil ‘e7§ known as raziza, roast the grains 
to hamisa, and eat the plain flour as lehme. 


Fig. 24—A small tent, tuzz (see p. 72). 


Semhne or sebib is the seed of the different varieties of © 
semh plant. It takes the place of both wheat and dera’, and 
from it food can be prepared in exactly the same way as 
from these. Those who have no other food and neither taste 
the seed of the ad-da‘d‘ variety of semh nor eat the al-hawwa’ 
herb, even though they may be tormented by hunger, are 
generally regarded as being hardy; hwa walad md dak ad- 
daa w-ld akal al-hawwa’? j6m ga. 


LOCUSTS, DATES, SALT, WATER, EDIBLE PLANTS 


For the poorer Rwala locusts, gerdd, are an important 
article of diet. The large green varieties often cover shrubs 
by the myriad and do not move till the dew has evaporated. 
The Rwala women come and throw handfuls of locusts into 
large bags, tie them up, dig a narrow, deep trench, bia, and 
make a fire in it. When the bottom of the trench is covered 
with glowing ashes they shake the locusts into it, shouting: 
“Father of roasting, roast them! jd-ba-l-hmes ehemseh.”’ The 
dead locusts are dried in the sun and either ground immediately 


94 RWALA BEDOUINS 


to powder, or strung .on long threads, or scooped by hand 
into leather bags. The locusts taste like the tails of crayfish. 
They are eaten either without any preparation, negddn, or 
food is prepared from them as from wheat. 

In addition to bread, ‘e738, and locusts the Rwala eat the 
following: 

‘aside, a gruel made of milk and some flour, 

becile, a paste made from dates and flour, 

basise, a thin paste for young children, made of grape 
honey (debs) and wheat flour, 

madrtse, a thin paste made of dates, boiled wheat, and 
butter, 

matbuha, dates boiled in butter, 

hmej‘a, bread boiled in milk and covered with camel’s suet. 

Burrul, husked wheat, and ruzz, rice, are very seldom 
found with the common Rwala. 

The Rwala buy salt in the settlements of the Sirhan 
depression. It is obtained in especially large quantities in the 
environs of Caf and Etra. The settlers run the salt water 
into shallow pools, collect, jezabberin, the salt left after eva- 
poration into baskets made of palm fibers, zebil, and shake 
it out in heaps, hawdsel. They measure it like corn and sell 
it. A single camel load (about 150 kilograms) costs a quarter 
or half a megidijje, according to quality, in addition to the 
tax for the chief. The best varieties of salt are those called 
‘até and etrdwi. Varieties of an inferior quality are known 
as sabhdwi, which is obtained from the dried-up swamps, and 
thejnt, or ground rock salt, of which there is an abundance 
in several regions. 

For the preparation of food women require water, which 
they fetch themselves if a well is near, but which is brought 
by the herdsmen from wells at a great distance. Water is 
never wasted, and the Rwala look after it carefully, especially 
when they are on the march. On war expeditions or during 
raids the commander sees that each one obtains an equal 
amount of water. At sunset he picks up a pebble, places it 
in a wooden Zedah, and pours water on it until it is immersed. 
This is each man’s share, meksdd az-zelemd. If hard pressed 
the Rwala kill the fattest camel, cut out the paunch, ¢ars, 
place it on a cloak, and squeeze the liquid from it into a 
leather bag, allowing it to cool and settle. They either drink 
it or, if it is too thick, they suck it into their throats through 


FOOD 95 


the nostrils. My guide, Mindil al-Kati, had drunk such water 
on eight occasions and there is nobody among the Rwala who 
has not tasted it at least once. 

Things are more serious with those traveling on foot who 
have no camel to kill. Thus there were four men from the 
Bnejje kin of the Rwala, who were driven off during a raid. 
They lost their camels and their weapons and escaped with 
their bare lives. One of them tied a small bag, sakwa, beneath 
his shirt, in which there were about three liters of water. 
They made their way home through the desert, living on 
various herbs and always drinking a little water after sunset. 
On the third day they had about a quarter of a liter left. 
They were all thirsty and yet each one urged the other to 
drink, but none would drink because there was not enough 
water for all. At last they decided to pour it away. They 
sipped the dew and went for two days without water. It was 
in the season of as-smdk (March and early April). After two 
days they could go no farther. By the will of Allah some 
Slejb saw them, brought them liquid butter, poured it into 
their mouths, and when they could swallow it gave them also 
water, thus saving their lives. In the seasons of as-sferi and 
as-sta’ (October 1 to February 20) a man can go without 
water for as long as three days, but in the midsummer, al- 
kéz, only for one day and one night, or at the most for two 
nights and one day. On the second day his throat becomes 
parched and he dies. 

The Rwala know very well which plants can be eaten. 
Often after an unsuccessful raid they wander on foot through 
the desert and live only on various herbs. They are most 
fond of eating the dark-red ripened fruit, tel‘, of the thorny 
msa° shrub. These are very sweet and have a bitter after- 
taste. The Rwala collect them and boil them into a thick 
syrup. From the wood of the tall rimt shrub there flows out 
in summer a sweet juice, which they likewise collect. Kzadma, 
the ripe fruit of the butum tree, they pluck, dry, grind, and 
mix with wheat flour. They also extract oil from this fruit. 
They eat the raw stalks or tuberous growths of the follow- 
ing plants: bahatri, bsejjel, tummejr, girgir, harra’, humbejz 
(or hammejz), hamsis, hawwa’, da‘lik, rubahla, resdd, rorejla, 
ummu rwejs, Sahhtim, tita, gorrét an-nadm, kurrés, karrat 
ksejbre, lubbéna, lahjat at-tejs, msa‘. 

The following are baked: zebb ad-dih, tartit, and mhartt. 


96 RWALA BEDOUINS 


MEATS 


Meat is not a usual food but a luxury, like bread. The 
Rwala eat hardly any other meat than ecamel’s flesh. If they 
wish to slaughter a camel, they make it kneel down, jenaw- 
wehitnaha, tie all its legs, press its head to the ground, and 
the butcher shouts: “Lay its head on one side! rudd rasha.” 
He then thrusts a sharp dagger into its throat, manhar, and 
cuts it through to the right and left. The camel trembles and 
makes a gurgling noise, tirta‘ed, and the blood flows either 
into a vessel or upon the ground. The Bedouins cut off the 
tail of the slaughtered camel, cut through the skin on its 
back from the roots of the tail across the hump as far as 
the nape, rdreb, and then flay it, jaslehtinaha. When the skin 
has been removed, they cut off the front legs, then the neck 


erAve 


the head with the throat. 

The flesh is either boiled or baked. For boiling, tabh, the 
flesh, together with the bones, is hacked into small pieces, 
thrown into a kettle, covered with water, salted, and placed on 
three stones above the fire. When it has boiled, the mistress 
of the tent gives the order: “Take out the meat! onzgow al- 
lahm.” They take out the separate pieces with a large wooden 
spoon, melsdka or miswat, place them on a karwa or sahn 
covered with ‘ejs, boiled wheat, let them cool a little, pour 
on them a thick gravy, safja, skimmed from the top, and 
carry them to the guests, jekallettineh. The rest of the gravy, 
mraka, they mix with ‘e7§ for household use or for the less 
esteemed guests. 

Miswi is the name given to the salted meat baked either 
on a bulging iron sheet, sag, on a slab, or else in red-hot ashes. 

Habit is meat roasted in fat and served on bread. 


FOOD Uh 


Sahr is a piece of camel’s fat spitted on a small stick and 
roasted on the fire. 

Camel’s fat is known as Sahm; cut up and boiled into 
suet it is known as mahli or widaé. In the kettle in which 
the fat is thus rendered a sediment called halt, something 
like swards, remains on the bottom. The widaé is poured into 
a leather bag, zarf (or nahw), and kept for as long as three 
years. In the hot season the Rwala prefer it to butter because 
it is cool. Nobody sells camel’s suet, except perhaps a very 
stingy person. Widaé is a good remedy for boils and suppu- 
rating wounds. 

The best meat is obtained from a fat she-camel, ‘adla, 
between four and ten years old. The flesh of an older ghe- 
camel, especially a lean one, helime, cannot be properly boiled. 
It always remains tough and has no taste. The flesh of young 
camels less than three months old, hwar, has a bad effect on 
the stomach. 

The Rwala also feed on blood. Only a bird’s heart they 
throw away for fear of becoming as timid as the bird. “He 
has a bird’s heart, kalbeh kalb at-tejr,’ means: “He is easily 
frightened.”’ 


MEALS 


Members of the family of the tent owner take their meals 
in the women’s compartment. Food for guests is carried into 
the men’s compartment, where sometimes their host sups with 
them. together with his eldest gon. 

When supper is ready, the host gives the order: “Pour 
water for the men so that they can wash! rasseli “a-r-regdl.” A 
slave, ason, or a younger relative takes a zedah, wooden vessel, 
with water, goes from man to man, and pours a few drops upon 
the contracted fingers of the right hand. If the master is wait- 
ing with his acquaintances for supper, he calls to his son, his 
daughter, or to a male or female slave: “Give us supper! kallet 
lena-l-‘asa.” The person who brings the meal places it before him, 
saying: ‘‘Here is the supper, hahi-l-‘a3a.” If an esteemed guest 
is present, the host himself goes to fetch the supper, accom- 
panies the sons or the slaves carrying the sahn, and places it 
either in front of the most esteemed guest or at the side of 
the fireplace. The host calls by name those who are to take 
supper first, tafwit. The person thus invited rises, goes to 


98 RWALA BEDOUINS 


the dish, kneels on his left knee, sits on the left heel, extends 
his right sleeve, jefasser “an ad-drd‘*, and waits for the host’s 
invitation: “Call on (God’s name)! May Allah preserve your 
life! sammi allah jehajjikom.” With the words ‘In the name 


Fic. 25 Fic. 26 


Fics. 25, 26—Pack camels, al-mazghwr, on the march, carrying rolled- 
up tents and poles (see p. 76). 


of Allah” each one catches hold of the dish, rolls small pellets 
of ‘ejS or bread, throws one after another into his mouth, 
and swallows them without chewing. If there is a pile of meat 
in the middle of the dish, each one tries as quickly as pos- 
sible to make a trench in the ‘e7§ or bread till he reaches it. 
Nobody may clutch directly at the meat, as this is bad form. 
When the diner has worked his way underneath the heap, 
he may take whatever crumbles into his trench. A man who 
is esteemed must not gnaw the meat from the bone. He has 
to tear away the meat with the fingers of his right hand, 
without raising his hand from the dish. What he does not 
tear away he leaves on the bone, which he presses against 
the side of the hollow. Nobody is allowed to rise until all the 
men have finished eating supper from the same dish. Such 
a group of men having supper together is called kalta. When 
they have finished eating, they say: “May Allah requite the 
hosts for this! halaf allah ‘ala-l-ma‘dzib.” The host replies: 
“Health and good digestion! sahha w-Gfije.” Each one licks 
the fingers of his right hand, jilhas ideh (or jedeh), and goes 
to the side wall of the tent, against which he rubs one finger 
after the other, jimhas jedeh, and cleans his teeth, jinkas 


FOOD 


FIG. 28 


Fria. 27—Pack camels, al-maghiir, on the march; a camel carrying 
a gindib saddle and tent poles (see p. 76). 


Fic. 28—Pack camels, al-mazhir, on the march (see p. 76). 


O2 


100 RWALA BEDOUINS 


snimeh. The host then arranges a second group, kaltat al- 
wasta, and, when this one has eaten, he adds more food; if 
by now the meat is gone, he mixes the ‘e7s with mraka gravy 
and calls on a third group, known as al-kaltat al-mhelijje. 
What is left over, rarime, is received by the poor children 
who stand round the tent. 

To an unsatisfied eater they say: “Thou hast gnawed the 
head of a camel, the head of a wether, and a hare together 
with its head; thou hast eaten a canful of paste made of 
dates and flour, and still thou sayest that thou hast not 
supped; rds w-rwejs w-arnab raseh beh w-zedah becile w-tkul 
ma ta‘assejt.” 


COFFEE AND ITS PREPARATION 


All food is prepared in the camp by the women in their 
compartment. In the men’s compartment coffee only is made. 
At the command: “Blow up the fire and prepare coffee, sibb an- 
nar w-sawwi-l-kahwa,’ a slave, the son, the wife, the daughter, 
or sometimes even the tent owner himself, strikes the spark, 
lays the smoldering tinder into a piece of dry Sth, whirls it 
round above his head until it bursts into flame, lays it under 
the fuel on the fireplace, and blows upon it until this also 
catches fire. Then the coffee maker lays beside the fireplace 
long coal tongs, milkat, and takes the coffeepots (Fig. 32) 
from a circular basket woven of straw or palm leaves. 

The coffeepots are generally four in number. The largest 
one is called matbéha or kumkum. Into it the grounds from 
which coffee has been decocted are emptied for several days. | 
A slave pours water on them and places the pot by the fire. 
The other three pots he rinses out, jesarreb, pours the con- 
tents into the largest one, polishes them with a duster made 
of camel’s hair, and sets them on the right-hand side of the 
fireplace, where there already stands a copper water jug, beriz, 
as well as a Zedah, or cylindrical wooden vessel measuring about 
20 centimeters in diameter and 6 centimeters in height and with 
a narrow edge. From the Zedah water is offered for drinking. 

From a leather pouch, sifen, or from a small leather 
canister, karf (pl., karaf), the mistress of the tent takes a 
handful of coffee, benn, a slave puts it on a shallow iron 
pan with a long handle, upon which the coffee is roasted, 
mihmdse, and holds it above the fire, continually stirring the 


FOOD 101 


beans with an iron spoon fastened to the handle by means 
of a long copper chain, éd al-mihmdse. As soon as the coffee 
begins to turn brown, askarrat, he lifts the plate from time 
to time, shakes it until the beans jump about, blows on and 
continues roasting them. When all the beans have acquired a 
dark-brown color, he shakes them out upon a wooden dish, 
mibrada, which is also provided with a long handle, in order 
that they may cool off, jebarredha. Meanwhile he takes the 
second smaller pot, pours boiling water into it from the first 
one, and sets it by the fire. He wipes a wooden mortar, mihbds 
(or nigr), decorated with carvings, shakes, jekubb, into it the 
cold beans freed from their husks, picks up with his right 
hand or with both hands a long wooden pestle, jad (or mehwdn), 
and, holding the mortar between his knees, pounds the coffee 
with measured and dignified strokes. After every five or six 
blows upon the beans he knocks the edge of the pestle against 
the sides of the mortar in order to get rid of the coffee cling- 
ing to it. The noise made by the mortar and pestle, hess al- 
mihbds, is heard everywhere in the vicinity, and the people 
give their opinion as to whether these sounds are regular and 
artistic or not. The pounding of coffee is an art, and musical 
ability is judged according to the way in which it is done. 

The coffee when ground to a fine powder is shaken out, 
jelazzemha, by a slave into his right hand or straight into 
the second pot, in which the fresh coffee is boiled. This pot 
is called masfa’ (or raldje). The slave takes the rag with 
which he has wiped the vessel, places it on the handle of the 
pot, and holds it above the fire, continually moving it farther 
away or nearer in order that the coffee may not boil over. 
When the coffee is thoroughly boiled, tbahat, he places the 
pot at some little distance from the fire in order that the 
coffee may settle. He then puts into the mortar a few grains 
of the fragrant spice known as cardamom and a pinch of 
saffron, beats them up, shakes them out into the third pot, 
which has been cleaned and warmed, and pours into it the 
boiled coffee from the second pot. The third pot, in which the 
coffee is boiled with the ground spices, is called mabhdéra. From 
a circular box of wood, kawti, or copper, kafas, the slave takes 
out small cups of solid stoneware, fandgil, pours a little water 
into each one, rubs them with his thumb on a piece of rag, and 
puts them on a copper platter called sinijzje. When the spice- 
flavored coffee has boiled he empties a part of it into the fourth 


102 RWALA BEDOUINS 


and smallest pot, known as delle, and pours from it a few drops 
of coffee into a cup, which he empties out on the ground as 
a sacrifice for Sadri, the first one to boil coffee. Then he 
again pours a little coffee in the cup, shakes it round to see 
its color, takes a sip, smacks his lips, and savors the coffee 
to find out how it tastes. Having gulped it down, he takes 
in his left hand from four to six cups, inserting one into the 
other, seizes the handle of the delle pot with his right hand, 
and from above pours into the cups a stream of coffee as 
delicate as a spider’s thread. As soon as the bottom of the 
cup is covered, he hands it to the foremost guest. The latter 
takes it in his right hand, licks it, smacks his lips, and slowly 
drinks; it is not becoming to drink all of one’s coffee at one 
gulp. Meanwhile the slave pours out for the rest. When the 
first guest has finished drinking, the slave pours out for him 
again, jedir ‘a-r-regdl. The fourth helping the guest must 
decline with the word hdge, even though he would like to drink 
more. After an interval, however, he may resume drinking. 


Poems Relating to Coffee 


Many of the Rwala, both men and women, are very fond 
of coffee and describe its preparation and taste in numerous 
poems. Prince an-Nuri eben Sadan composed a poem which 
he himself recited to me, as follows: 


1. Kum saw fingalen ‘ala-l-kejf ja “id 
bedlal jisdenn al-btut al-ehdafi 

2. ehmes w-zajjenha ‘ala kill ma-rid 
w-estaden ma jused min an-nds raft 

3. nigren ‘ala hesseh jegtin al-melabid 
ahl as-salam w-kawwakom w-al-“awafi 

A. w-bharha tista min al-hejl w-tzid 
bez-za‘fardn mrawwaka 7-s-snafr 

5. bsinizjeten tumma derha lel-agawid 
w-oddah ‘a-lli jetni hlaf al-mezafi 

6. alli jrawwi harbeteh bel-metarid 
le‘ujin min kerneh ‘ala-l-meten zafi 

7. bint a&s-sujah muhazzebin al-bwalid 
haribhom lowhom ba%iden jihafr 

8 w-en derhem as-sdbir ma min tasadid 
cam hadéemen hallow ‘azameh talafr 


10. 


ita 


FOOD 103 


9. mirkazehom jisba’ bah an-nisr w-ad-dib 
w-jisba® bah zabran min al-gui* hafi 

10. w-etni ‘ala-lli w-en lafow leh ma‘dwid 
rif an-nisdma w-ar-réadb al-ehgafi 

ll. jazghak hegageh low lafow al-agdwid 
la ja baad hatw al-éedib al-ehlafi. 


. Arise, prepare a cup of coffee as I would have it, O ‘Id! 


In pots like to black and fattened geese. 


. Roast and adorn it even as I desire 


And let the mortar approach, which awakens the drowsy 
people, 


. At whose sound they will come who are idling at home, 


The people who say: “Peace! may He strengthen you, 
and greeting!’ 


. Spice it with nine grains of cardamom and add 


Saffron. When it has settled in beautiful cups 


. On a decorated plate, then give it to the heroes, 


And return with it unto him who is a shield to the fugitive, 


. He who drenches his spear in battles 


For the eyes of her whose tresses reach below her waist, 


. The daughter of chiefs, who stain their steel weapons, 


Whom their adversaries fear, even though they tarry 
afar off, 


. And of them none looks around again, if they set off at 


a trot on their camels; 
Of so many leaders do the bones decay through their deeds! 


. If they set off at a gallop, they sate the eagle and the wolf, 


And even the hyena which roves about in hunger. 
Pour out once more for him who, if there come to him, 
returning from a raid, 
The flower of youth with camels thin and worn, 
Moves yet his brows with mirth, especially if heroes arrive, 
(He who acts quite otherwise than) some feigning liar; 
Oh, may he be afar off. 


Verse 1. Saw, for sawwi; sawwi-l-khawa, means “prepare 


coffee.” The pots in which the coffee is boiled have a very 
pronounced bulge in the lower half, where they are almost 
circular, and as they are always blackened they resemble black 
wild geese, which are usually fat. 2. Zajjenha, adorn it; this 
is done when the roasted coffee is blown upon to free it from 
the loosened husks. 3. The noise of the mortar disturbs sleepers 


104 RWALA BEDOUINS 


and calls together the idlers from all sides to utter their greet- 
ings and to reply to greetings, only in order that as soon as 
possible they may gain the favor of those present. 4. Nine 
grains of cardamom are ground together with a pinch of 


Fic. 29 FIG. 30 


Figs. 29, 30—Pack camels, al-mazghir, on the march (see p. 76). 


saffron and mixed with the boiled coffee. The hejl, card- 
amom, gives the coffee a peculiar bitter taste, and the saffron 
makes it yellow in color. The coffee, when it has been allowed 
to stand and has been strained off, mrawwaka, is poured into 
beautiful cups, as-sndéfi. Har-raggal sndfi means “this man 
is handsome, perfect.” 5. Sinijje is the name of the shallow 
decorated metal dish upon which the cups are placed; such 
dishes were originally brought from China and hence were 
known as sini. ‘Oddah for ‘odah (or ‘odha). He who protects the 
fugitives is to receive an additional drink of coffee. Akfow 
means “made their escape, retreated.” 6. Trdd is the term for 
actual warfare. In the midst of the most dangerous and fierce 
fighting the girls encourage the warriors with words and 
gestures. With loosened hair and bared breasts they dash 
on she-camels where the danger is greatest, shout to their 
lovers and friends, remind the former of favors received, and 
threaten to desert to the enemy should they be disappointed 


FOOD 105 


by their own people. 8. Sabir are the camel riders who 
during the raid ward off the attacks of the owners of the 
captured herds. 9. Mirkdzahom signifies the galloping of 
the horse riders who from ambush attack the enemy engaged 


Fic. 31—Pack camels, al-mazhir, on the march (see p. 76). 


with the sdbir. 10. Most of the coffee is to go to the owner 
of the tent, who entertains the warriors returning from a 
raid, ma‘dwid (or mendcif), with genuine unaffected kindness. 
For whether the raid has been successful or not, on the return 
from it all are hungry, riders as well as animals, because 
as a rule every raid lasts much longer than was planned. 
11. Al-cedib al-ehldfi is the term applied to a man who pre- 
tends to rejoice at some news, while in reality he is seething 
with wrath. It is used of the host who embraces and kisses 
the guest, but does not give enough to eat either to the guest 
or to his animals. 


1. Kum saw ma jegmed ‘ala-s-sin 7a dijab 
bedlal jesdenn al-btit al-mahddib 

2. w-ehmes elja min al-arak fowkha ddb 
w-estaden md jegdeb ‘alejk as-Serdrib 


106 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


3. nigren jiladli min al-rata dim behzab 
jeli ‘ala dubb ad-dahr w-al-mawdgib 

4. 7a tekel tatla’ caffat as-sin behzab 
warsen sobar besfuf biz ar-ra‘abib 

5. w-subbah limin kad an-nisdma lil-agnab 
bemafraseh jisba® beh an-nisr w-ad-dib 

6. w-etnah ‘ala-lli low lefa’-z-zemel zgabzab 
jarhas be‘omreh ‘end zeml ar-ra‘abib 

7. w-gezzah ‘ala-lli low lafow leh ‘ala réab 
telka bejteh mitl gezr al-kasdsib 

8. w-bazi-l-mela etbeh leh al-wafel low sab 
rassds al-megles hamir al-mesa‘tb 

9. alli nhér al-kown jifza’ bemslab 
kbadrin al-anfos sdhegin al-mwagib. 


. Rise, prepare coffee which stains the cups, O Dijab! 


In pots resembling black, fat-backed geese, 


_ And roast it till the sweat on the beans evaporates, 


And take that which will summon the drinkers, 


_The mortar shining with wrath from unceasing blows, 


And bowing as bidden by custom and duty. 


_ Oh! thou might’st say it paints the inside of the cup 


with a yellow 
Color, like that which dyes the lips of fair beauties. 


_ Pour it for him who led the youths abroad 


To the place of attack, where vulture and wolf glut 
themselves. 


. And pour it again for him-who, when clouds of dust 


envelop the laden camels, 
Risks his life for the camels which bear the slender 
beauties. 


_And give more to him in whose tent the camel riders 


Will find animals slaughtered as at a butcher’s. 


For the others visiting thee warm up the coffee 


erounds, even if they be gray, 
For they are but people crowding into rooms for men, 
like donkeys heeding only the short sticks, 


. People who on the day of battle hasten to help with 


stakes for stirring the fire, 
Braggarts, neglecters of duty. 


This poem was composed by Hajes eben Meglad and recited 


to me by the negro Hmar abu ‘Awwad. 


FOOD 107 


Verse 1. Ma jegmed means “that which adheres (sticks) 
and colors.” The Bedouins prefer coffee which leaves dark- 
yellow stains on the white cups. The wild geese are called 
mahadib from their fat bulging backs. 2. The roasting is 
finished when the fine drops resembling sweat disappear from 
the coffee beans. 3. Through prolonged use the inside of the 
mortar becomes very shiny, as does the spot outside pressed 
by the knees of the person working the pestle. Jeli, the mortar 
bows because the beater inclines it from side to side when 
shaking off the coffee that sticks to its sides. Dubb ad-dahr 
means “as is the custom, life long.” 4. Caffat as-sin is the 
inside of a porcelain cup, wars (or kurkub) the plant from 
which the yellow dye is made. Sfvf was explained to me as 
lips, but it can also mean the stuff for a dress. 5. The first 
cup should go to the ‘azid, or leader of the troop. Mafras 
signifies the spot where the enemy’s horses were repulsed 
when trying to free the captured herds. 6. Zabzdb is the term 
applied to the warriors mounted on horses. If the enemy attack 
a migrating tribe they are opposed by the salaf, a troop of 
horsemen who attempt to drive them from the camels which 
carry the tents, household goods, supplies, and women and 
children. If the enemy is numerically stronger, the troop oppos- 
ing them may soon be scattered, in which case only the bravest 
will persist in defending the camels of the different families. 
7. The owner of the tent, who sets meat before the hungry 
fighters on their return from a raid, is entitled to the most 
coffee. 8. Wafel is the twice-boiled coffee, which not only leaves 
no dark-yellow stains on the white porcelain but is almost 
wholly gray, sdb. It is good enough for such visitors, mela, as 
press, rassdse, into the men’s compartment. Although they see 
that they are depriving the more esteemed guests and the tired 
fighters of their places, and that the host looks at them with 
an unfriendly eye, yet they do not leave the tent. At last the 
short stick, mis‘ab, such as is used for urging on and driving 
away the donkeys, must be applied to them. 9. If the alarm cry 
is sounded, a true Bedouin instantly arms himself with his best 
weapon and runs to help, 77fza‘, his attacked countrymen, but 
a scamp of the sort just described will only snatch up a thick 
stake used for poking the fire, misldéb, thinking he can scare 
the enemy with that. Sdhegin (or tdrecin) al-mwdgib are 
those who are unmindful of their duties towards their clan 
and tribe and are conceited braggarts, kbdrin al-anfos. 


108 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


. Bah al-‘aza’? ja-dib kum denn-al-awrék 


kurtads Sami sdfijen tekel rarnik 


. w-hati dwat al-heber w-edni lena sdk 


“ud al-jard bsadrat al-mus maslik 


. ekteb min al-abjat 7a-dib md lak 


ma dam kufl al-kalb jd-dib mafhuk 


. zilen Gema-d-dabwa’ elja siz w-ensdk 


ma sahsahen ‘anak Sefa’ kill taruk 


. j4 ma likalben kill mé-ltamm bel-asféik 


A VAY 


min “am al-awwal beh dawadcié w-ehfuk 


. gigahed gnisen biswamih al-atrék 


w-teksef leh asrdren ketamhen bisanduk 


. elja tara li tary al-hbadb w-estak 


ejza w-dakk bhatri tari as-suk 


. dannejt leh min safi al-benn mad lak 


bel-éaff nadziha ‘an al-“adf min as-stik 


. ehmes talaten 7a nedimi ‘ala sdk 


rthah ‘ala gamr al-razga jifzgah as-stk 


. jak w-an-nijje w-bélak w-al-hrak 


esha tsir blahjet al-hams matfuik 


. elja-sfarr lownah tumm basset bel-“ardk 


hamra? éema-l-7akut jitreb leha-l-muk 


. w-attat brihen fahren fadzhen fak 


al-ambar rihah bel-aswak manstik 


. subbah bnigren jisma® kill mistak 


rai-l-hawa jitreb elja tdizz behfuk 


. w-lakkem bdelleten mowle‘en cannaha-s-sik 


Samijjeten marbibeten tekel rarntk 


. hallah teftih w-radi al-kéf mustak 


w-elja tafah bah gowharen sahh lah lik 


. asrar kmurah éazamardag bel-as‘ak 


w-akbarhen at-tafeh ‘ala safi al-muk 


. w-zellah ‘ala wagha beha hamst arndk 


hélen w-mismaren bel-asbab mashik 


. w-za'fardn w-smatri elja-nsdk 


rihah ma‘ al-ambar ‘ala-t-taék matbuk 


. elja htalat hada bhdda betifak 


subbah éefak al-awk ‘an kill mahlik 


. bifingal sini tertazi ‘anneh al-arnék 


jazi bkursijjen hadanen al-ma‘suik 


. en entalak min hdafetah tekel Sebrak 


aw damm kalben w-en meza’ minneh malik 


2. 


3. 


FOOD 109 


22. zajjah ‘ala-l-fingdl jisbor elya rak 
all. tsawwer bil-hamdme ‘ala-t-tik 

23. w-elja hasal ma kilt ‘endi bel-asfak 
rerwen temezz esfah w-al-onk mafhik 

24. rerwen jail bhebbeteh kill maé lak 
haddeh zahah al-bedr low ban bes tik 

25. éenn al-arak min wagneteh hossen arndk 
natren ‘ala safhat al-awrdk marsik 

26. w-elja zgaheé min mabsemeh bérzen hak 
‘aglen rafifen w-ratteh al-rarak betbtik 

27. gemst bridfen hallen madmag as-sdk 
jefsel hegulen hazzah at-tokl min fuk 

28. w-allah low jemsi Sekdken bel-aswak 
min sowfeteh ma jimtah al-hams mahlik 

29. mar elja hasal lak sdhebak w-ent musték 
oktof tamar md lah w-al-omr malhiik 

30. minn as-sdheb alli kill mad il bawwak 
‘ajja jisazzini min ad-dubbal al-fik 

31. w-kalbi ma‘ ad-dellal jegleb bel-aswék 
‘amén ‘enda shajjef al-wasf mawstk 

82. w-salat rabbi ‘adad bdrezen hak 
‘ala-n-nebi al-hasemi hijgdr mahlik. 


. Grief descends upon me! Rise, O clerk! Pull out paper, 


A sheet from Damascus, pure white as the crane, 
And hither with the ink and the pen, 

A stem of the reed split by the knife’s edge. 

Copy, O clerk! whatever verses are fitting — 

As long as the lock of my heart, O clerk! is open — 


. Word (following after word), as when small locusts drive 


and are driven 
And link the plain with the ridge of each enclosing slope. 


. Oh, how the heart loves best what it has stored up! 


For a year past my heart has been filled with passionate 
unrest and suspicion. 


. Some thoughts it conquers by peaceful forgiveness, 


But secrets also come out which it had locked up as 
in a strong box. 


. Whenever I think of the tokens of love, I yearn for them 


| instantly, 
And my bosom is tortured by the remembrance 
of my sweetheart. 


110 


s© 


10. 


a es 


12. 


13. 


14. 


15. 


16. 


17. 


18. 


Lo 


20. 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


I will hand to him (the clerk) as many whole coffee 
beans as are needed 
After I have taken from them the various impurities 
of the market. 
Roast them three times, O comrade mine! on a pan with 
a long handle 
Above red-hot coal of raza, till their fragrance reaches 
the market. place. 
Be sure that both thy mind and soul are in the stirring, 
Be not disturbed, while roasting. 
As soon as it becomes yellow and glistens with sweat 
And is red like rubies, it will gladden the pupil of 
my eye, 
And a pleasant all-pervading smell it will send forth, 
‘better than that 
Of the amber, which can be smelled in the market place. 
Pour the beans into the mortar, whose sound everyone 
will hear who longs for the coffee, 
And the lover will grow cheerful if thou poundest with 
Then pour a handful into a Damascene pot, [care. 
Which is like a well-shaped calf of the leg and shines 
white as a crane. 
Let it be covered, as desired by him who likes his repose, 
And when it is full of gem-like bubbles, then it has 
attained its full beauty. 
The smallest of the bubbles resemble the emerald on a 
dagger grip, 
While the largest would be like an eye flooded with 
tears. 
Then pour it off to settle into a pot into which thou 
hast shredded five kinds of spice, 
Cardamom with powdered cloves 
And saffron with two kinds of Sumatra spice, in the 
right order. 
Its fragrance blended with that of the amber will remain 
in the closed room. 
When these are thoroughly mixed, 
Pour it out — and Allah keep all obstacles from thee 
while so doing! — 
Into a china cup, in which the drops are reflected, 
And which shines on the tray always set beside the 
coffee lover. 


21, 


22. 


23. 


24, 


25. 


26. 


Bibs 


FOOD 111 


When emptied, there will remain streaks like reddish 
fringes 
Or like the blood from a heart from which the artery 
has been torn out; 
Its color will cling to the cup after it has settled, 
Just like the band painted around the dove’s throat. 
And if my wishes could be granted, I should like best 
A pretty maid, who would press her lips to mine with 
bent neck, 
A pretty maid, whose kiss would embolden all, as is fit. 
Her face is like the moon’s reflection shining on a golden 
dagger grip; 
The pearls of sweat on her cheek bones are like drops 
Scattered on sheets of the finest paper. 
When she smiles, then from the place where she smiles 
a flash of lightning is seen, 
Soon followed by a copious rain. 
She walks with enchanting hips above firmly built calves; 
The weight of her body moves the rings above her 
ankles; 


. And, by Allah himself! when she walks, the whole market 


place is in an uproar, 
And, while looking at her, no one can close his fingers 
tight. 


. But if thy sweetheart permits and thou desirest it, 


Pluck the fruit as long as it entices, for life will soon 
be overtaken by death. 


. O sweetheart! thou who, as they all say, betrayest me, 


Refusing to allay my thirst with thy incisors. 


. My heart — like something banded by the auctioneer in 


the market places — 
Has dwelt for two years captive to her whom I have 
in few words described. 


. Oh! that my Lord’s blessing may rest as many times 


as he sends out lightning 
On the Hashemite Prophet, who is the highest of all 
created beings. 


The honor of composing this poem belongs to Muhammad 


al-Kazi, who is said to have been a judge in the town of 
‘Anejza. To me it was recited and explained by Prince an- 
Nari’s clerk, Gwad. Its story is simple. The poet, two years 


112 RWALA BEDOUINS 


before, had fallen in love with a woman of extraordinary 
beauty, but for the last year he had been tortured by doubts 
as to her faithfulness. In order not to lose her, he would gladly 
forgive much, but again and again in the market places he has 
heard insinuations which have exasperated him anew, filling 
him with melancholy. During a moment of such mental agony, 
he ordered strong black coffee to be prepared for him in his 
house in the ‘Anejza market place and then dictated the poem 
to his clerk. 

Verse 1. Bah al-‘aza (or enkasef al-‘aza) means ‘“melan- 
choly has taken hold of me; grief is seen on the countenance 
too.” Adib in the poetical language of the district of al-Kasim, 
to which ‘Anejza belongs, isa man who can both read and write. 
Sdmi is paper brought from Damascus. The commercial re- 
lations of ‘Anejza with Syria in general and with Damascus 
in particular always have been much brisker than with Irak 
and Bagdad. ‘Anejza, it should be known, is the center of 
the ‘Akejl camel traders, who buy up camels all over Arabia, 
drive them through Syria to Egypt, sell them there, and 
on their return stop at Damascus, where they buy articles 
needed in inner Arabia and bring them home. 2. Dwdt al- 
heber signifies drugs which mixed together and with water 
give ink; also an inkstand. In the towns of inner Arabia no 
fluid ink is sold. The inkstand is a small vessel made of either 
brass or tin and closed with a well fitting lid, into which a 
small piece of cotton-wool or camel’s hair is placed and steeped 
in the prepared ink until soaked through. The clerk sits on 
his heels, holds the paper with his left hand, and writes with 
his right, dipping his pen in the inkstand almost constantly. 
His pens he cuts himself. Buying a few long reeds or sedges, 
he cuts off, when needed, a piece about ten to fifteen centi- 
meters in length, shapes it with a sharp knife, mis, into a 
pen, splits it, and tries it on his thumb nail, and the writing 
instrument, sdk, is ready. Sadra is also pronounced Satra, 
corresponding to safra. 3. Kufl mafhik. The door lock in inner 
Arabia is more like a bolt than a lock. It is usually made of 
wood and both barred and unbarred with a wooden key. The 
iron lock and iron key are found only in mercantile booths 
and storehouses. Mafhik, used when speaking of locks as 
well as bolts — and also of the throat means, properly, 
“forced backwards or forwards.” 4. Dabwa’ are young locusts 
whose wings are just growing. They are so numerous at times 


FOOD 113 


that they crawl in a long chain urging each other, siz, and 
even riding one on another, ensék. Sahsah is a plain shut in 
by the low yet steep slope of a tarak, or long flat ridge. 
Sefa? is the flat top of such a ridge. The ascent from the 
lower plain, sahsah, to this upper plain, Sefa’, is quite dif- 
ficult. The dabwa’ locusts appear sometimes in such enormous 
masses that they fill the space between the lower and upper 
plains. 5. Eltamm (or engama‘), gathered together. Bel-asfak 
— that is, what is dearest to and gladdens the heart most 
of all — are the sweet memories of love; but the poet for 
the last year has been tortured by unrest, dawdcié, and fears, 
hftik. Enhafak, to be scared, to be filled with suspicion. 6. Al- 
atradk are demonstrations of peace or friendship; swdmih is 
forgiveness. Sanditik, a wooden box, frequently lined with tin 
plates; in inner Arabia it takes the place of our burglar-proof 
safe. There the poet had hidden many a secret unpleasant to 
him, but the heart learns them notwithstanding. 8. To allay 
his grief the poet took out from a wooden canister a few 
coffee beans, picked out on his palm the impurities mixed 
with them in the market, and then handed them to his com- 
panion, nedim. The coffee beans are exposed in the shops in 
open bags, into which apple cores, date stones, spices, and 
the like often fall. Such admixtures are called ‘adf, a poetical 
expression for filth. 9. While being roasted coffee should be 
taken from the fire three times. In its preparation there is 
nothing more important than the roasting. Sak is the long 
handle, much the worse for wear, of the pan used for roasting 
coffee. In the towns this pan is very small, but its handle 
is strong and ornamented. The poet sits in the room of his 
house, and the coffee is roasted in the same room before him. 
The coals of raza, which, when ignited, give a strong heat 
almost without smoke, are kindled on a square earthenware 
platter resembling a small trough. This hearth is either mov- 
able or attached to the earthen floor. During the roasting the 
window remains open so that the smell of the coffee can pass 
out of the room. And because the poet’s house stands in the 
market place, the smell of roasted coffee is sensed in all the 
Shops around. In the towns of inner Arabia the market place 
consists of a narrow street. 18. When the roasted and pounded 
coffee is being boiled, the burgher closes the window in order 
to save all its fragrance, which, like the coffee itself, has a 
narcotic effect on him. 19. The coffee is poured in from above, 


114 RWALA BEDOUINS 


and, as the cup is often as much as a meter below the pot, 
great dexterity is necessary in order not to spill a drop. But 
even the best pourer spills when jostled — whence the sayings: 
“Cefak al-awk, may Allah save thee from an obstruction!” 
“Cefak as-Serr, may Allah save thee from evil!” 20. Arndk 
signifies anything that resembles a round grain, as, for in- 
stance, several kinds of spice, drops of water, etc. Instead of 
sinijje the poet uses the word kursi. 21. The coffee, very 
strong in itself, acquires through the addition of five dif- 
ferent spices, as is the custom in the towns of inner Arabia, 
still more body and leaves on the cup a fine sediment, which 
the poet compares to red fringes, sebradk, and to the blood 
of a heart, from which the main artery has been torn out, 
malik. 23. When he has drunk the strong coffee, he again 
longs for his sweetheart, rarw. 24. Satik and (16) asak 
signify the grip of a sword or dagger, richly ornamented 
with gold and precious stones. In the larger towns of inner 
Arabia there are craftsmen, thorough artists in their work, 
who make to order such handles, often of wonderful beauty. 
26. The ladylove laughs at one moment and cries the next. 
When she smiles her white teeth glisten. Hak is the name 
for the quick flash of the lightning. 27. The calf of her leg 
is well turned and firm. 28. The town dweller in inner Arabia 
stretches out his fingers when surprised. 30. GwAad did not 
know whether to say minn or min, and was unable to explain 
what the word meant in this connection. Dubbal signifies the 
incisors, min fowk, of the upper row. 31. The poet’s heart is 
agitated, as if the town crier or auctioneer had carried it 
about the market places, offering it for sale. Mawstk has 
the same meaning as ma’hid, a captured or imprisoned one. 
The clerk Gwad knew the Rwala dialect well and adapted 
himself to its pronunciation. 


CHAPTER: VI 


DRESS AND WEAPONS 


THE BEARD AND HAIR; TATTOOING; BODY BELTS 


The Rwala devote much attention to the body,’ especially 
to the hair and beard. Almost everyone can shave and cut hair, 
and they render this service to one another, as they have no 
mirrors to shave by. Calling on his comrade with the words: 
“Shave me, hassenni (or zajjenni, or ehlekni),”’ a Rwejli sits 
down on his heels and patiently waits till his friend has pre- 
pared his soap, razor, and scissors. If he merely wishes the 
beard growing under his chin on the throat, gargir, shaved, 
he says: “Gargerni.” If he wishes the back part of his head 
up to the ears, sora, shaved, he asks: “Sawwerni.’’ Otherwise 
the barber will shave both the half of the back of his head 
and the beard under the chin, trim his thin chin beard, lahje 
(or dakne), and his goatee, ‘adesa, shave off his side whiskers, 
‘warez, trim his moustache, swdreb, clipping off its ends, 
subak, and comb the hair over the forehead, cutting it short, 
kussa, at the same time. Individuals especially careful of their 
appearance have their front hair made into two, four, six, or 
even aS many as eight plaits, krun. A man wearing his hair 


‘ The big toe (thumb) is called bhém; the second and third toes, honsor; the fourth 
toe, honejser; the little toe, bnejser; a finger (or toe) nail, zafer; the toes, asdbe® ar-riglén; 
the sole of the foot, haff; the arch of the foot, éabd ar-rigel; the heel, ‘azeb; the instep, 
‘ar8; the ankle, ‘azgejm ab-ar-raham or ka‘ib; the ankle joint, mifakk ; Achilles tendon, 
‘arkib; the shank, sdk; the calf, garbii‘a; the extensor of the leg, ‘ajn ar-rukba; the knee- 
cap, zeldle; the hollow of the knee, mdbez; the thigh, fahd; the mons Veneris, hedde; the 
penis, ‘ej7r or zebb; the testicles, hasjan; the glans, fas‘a; the groins, hdsra; the hip, wiré; 
the buttock, Sotijje or tiz; the navel, sirre; the loins, gamb; the ribs, 2a‘; ; the breast, sadr; 
the breast nipple, did; the ensiform cartilage, razgrif al-éalb; the stomach, éabd; the intes- 
tines, kosbdn; the kidney, éelwa; the spleen, thal; the liver, stdr; the gall, mardra; the heart, 
Kalb or sandik al-kalb; the lungs, rije; the back, gahr; the lower part of the spine, dkajjez; 
the vertebrae, haraz az-gahr; the shoulder-blade muscles, daffa; the shoulder blade, éatf; the 
small of the back, rummdn al-éatf; the neck, rukuba; the two fleshy parts of the back of 
the neck, ‘elba; the hollow between them, nkejra; the atlas, fdas; the collar bone, turka; 
the pit of the throat, trejra; the external jugular vein, wrid; the throat, barrdka; the Adam’s 
apple, zreda; the chin, ‘adasa; the jaws, hnik; the lips, bardtem, or belagem; the corners 
of the mouth, Sdik; the cheeks, w@ndt; the nose, hasm; the nostrils, mendher; the ridge of 
the nose, ‘arniin; the bridge of the nose, makren; the cheek bone, rummadne; the eyes, ‘ujtin; 
the pupil of the eye, sbej; the eyelids, gftin; the eyelashes, rim; the eyebrow, hgdg; the 
forehead, gabha; the temples, sawdber; the ear, iden; the lobe of the ear, Shama; the teeth, 
senan; the incisors, tendje; the four eye teeth, nibdn; the molars, rahi; the glottis, hlejz. al- 
mowt; the gullet, bel‘im; the top of the head, rddje; the cranium, hamt ar-rds; the brain, 
dmar; the elbow joint, ‘azd; the elbow, ki‘; the forearm, drd‘; the arm hollow, durder; the 
back of the hand, mist ; the palm of the hand, éaff; the thumb, béhem; the index finger, 
tawil; the little finger, hnejser; the hand, jad (or id; dual, idé; pl., idén); three hands, taldt 
idén; five feet, hams riglén. 


115 


116 RWALA BEDOUINS 


thus plaited and dressing with some taste, walad jensob, is 
called a gdhel. In the case of men not wearing plaits the 
barber cuts the hair, suse. His work finished, the barber sa- 
lutes the shaven one with the words: “May’st thou preserve 
thy health and capture camels! eslam w-ernam al-bel.”’ The 
answer is: “May Allah reward thee! dgerak ‘al-allah,” the 
barber adding: “May Allah receive thee into his mercy! sd- 
mahk allah.’ The common barber is nearly always an inde- 
pendent, horr, Bedouin. He shaves for a good word, not for 
pay, and must, therefore, be thanked, for nothing is more 
disagreeable to an independent Bedouin than discourtesy and 
ingratitude for favors or services rendered; therefore the say- 
ing: “Bitter is the fatigue of a free Bedouin, ta‘ab al-horr 
murr.” 

Long plaits are the pride of a childishly vain Bedouin, 
gahel, and often lead to his undoing. When pursued, he can 
be easily captured if the enemy catches hold of his plaits. For 
not only is he unable to escape, but his enemies can bind his. 
hands behind his neck with his own hair and, besides, tie one 
or two plaits around his leg above the ankle. Hence the say- 
ing: “Thy hair is thy snare, rdsak ‘ardsak.” Mindil al-Kati, 
my companion, told me that he was once caught by some men 
of the Taim4n clan of the Sammar tribe, whose camel he had 
tried to steal, and was bound by his own plaits. When they 
dismissed him the next day, they cut the plaits through. From 
that time Mindil has worn his hair short, Suse. 

When the Bedouin catches a thief, whether afoot (hdjef) 
or mounted (mu‘ajjer), from a tribe with which he is at 
war, kowmdni, he cuts off a piece of his plait, accompany- 
ing his action with the words: ‘I let thee go free for Allah’s 
sake, ana mu‘tezk lillah,’ and adds: “If I catch thee again, 
I surely will cut off thy chin beard; in kazgabtak lakoss la- 
hitak.”’ To cut a man’s chin beard is, in the popular idea, as 
bad as cutting off his head, lakta* rdsak. It is much easier 
for the relatives of a murdered man to forgive the slayer 
than for the kinsmen of a Bedouin insulted by having his 
beard cut off to be reconciled with the culprit. Sabel an-Nu- 
sejri of the Rwala once went to the Beni Sahr tribe to seek 
his two she-camels which had been stolen from him, nakisa, 
some time before. He bore a letter of recommendation for 
the chief, given him by Prince Sattam, who asked the chief 
either to return to Sabel his animals or to see to it that he 


DRESS AND WEAPONS 117 


was indemnified, jeddiin ‘alejk. Not long after SAbel’s de- 
parture Sattam led his young warriors on a raid against the 
Fed‘an. In the depression of Sirhan he met Sabel. “Where are 
thy she-camels?” “I haven’t found them.” “Why, were they 


Fic. 32—Coffeepots (see p. 100). 


not branded with the mark of thy kin? What did the chief 
say to thee?” “I did not go so far. I was caught by the Shar 
pasturing their camels, who bound me in my own plaits, put 
the Shir brand on my right thigh, cut off my plaits and half 
of my chin beard, and then drove me away with the words: 
‘Show thy relatives what thou hast got for thy she-camels!’ ” 
No sooner did Sattam see the brand mark of the Shar, than 
he shouted: “Let Allah judge between them and us! Up and 
at the Beni Sahr! Jesuf alldh lena w-lehom ‘ala beni sahr.” 
Then the Rwala attacked the Beni Sahr camp, captured more 
than a hundred men, cut off their beards with sabers and 
daggers, made the Rwala mark on both cheek and ear of 
every man, and took all their herds. 

Many elderly men have the whole head shaved. Such are 
called asia‘. Those naturally bald are nicknamed akra‘. 

A maiden is very careful of her hair. In the morning 
she waits for the female riding camel to get to its feet, and, 
catching its urine in a small dish, she washes her hair with 


118 RWALA BEDOUINS 


it, tebawwalat. The camel’s urine destroys the lice embryos, 
refreshes the scalp, prevents itching, and gives the hair a 
peculiar gloss. Then the girl takes a wooden comb with rough 
teeth on both sides, combs her hair, temassatat, and braids 
it, telemm rdsah. The hair above the forehead as a rule she 
does not plait, but merely trims, so that it hangs down freely, 
kussa, but she plaits the rest of the hair on the top of the 
head and above the ears into braids, dwdajeb, and makes two 
small pigtails, ‘aksa’, of the back hair. Each braid ends in a 
small knot tied with a small ribbon. The braids are neither 
wound around the head, nor rolled. Long unplaited hair is 
called sa‘ar, plaited hair being known as Zeddjel (or krun). 
Trimmed hair above the forehead is kussa, ndsije, or gabhe. 
Tresses: Zidle, ‘erf, or krun. Short hair: hawdf, beréem, ka‘- 
kule, rds, or Suse. 

Long hair and long tresses are the chief ornament of a 
woman, and every youth longs to marry a girl or woman thus 
adorned. The older men do not care for the long hair and 
advise the youth: ‘“‘Amuse thyself with a short haired one, if 
thou canst not get a girl whose tresses are ornamented with 
coins; telahha’? bumm Suse ilja ma tgtk al-mankuse.” 

Nearly all women are tattooed on the lips, cheeks, nose, 
forehead, breast, around the breasts, and on the belly. This - 
is always done by a gipsy woman, nurijzje. First the gipsy 
pricks certain patterns into the skin, then dips the needle in 
indigo and transmits this dye into the holes. After this oper- 
ation she binds the tattoed part of the body, and not until 
the seventh day is past are the bandages removed, when the 
spots are washed. The pictures thus produced, dakk al-wsdam, 
generally circles and triangles, are supposed to enhance the 
maiden’s beauty, min sdn zerdfa. 

Both men and women wear on their bare bodies a belt 
plaited from five thin strips of gazelle leather, the men’s 
being called hakw (or sebte), and the women’s barim (or ru- 
seyni). Persons not wearing this belt are named ma‘w or 
aslat. The Rwala buy the hakw from the Slejb, usually for 
a quarter of a megidijje (22'/, cents). 


MEN’S CLOTHES 


The main dress of the men consists of a white shirt (towb) 
reaching to the heels, with broad sleeves ending at the wrist 


DRESS AND WEAPONS 119 


in a lappet more than a meter long, towb mrawdan. When 
walking or working, the man ties the sleeves behind his neck; 
when riding he lets them hang down loosely. On the breast 
the shirt is opened, ge7b, to be fastened below the throat by 
a button or a cord sewn to the shirt. A towb has no collar, 
but is sometimes ornamented with blue, red, and black em- 
broidery around the neck and on the breast. 

A well-to-do Rwejli puts on over the towb a garment called 
zebuin (pl, zebndt) made of light material, never of cloth. This 
resembles our shirt, except that it reaches to the ankles, has 
no collar, is open the whole length of the front, and is pro- 
vided with wide sleeves overlapping the hand by about ten 
centimeters. The sleeves are slit open at the ends for about 
fifteen centimeters, lined with dark-red material to the same 
extent, and then folded back, kalldba, so that the lining is 
exposed. The ends of the sleeves, both the slits, and the 
edges around the neck and on the breast are bordered with 
a colored cord, herg, which ends below the chin in two small 
strings, krdn. At the tail the material is turned up to the 
width of about two fingers, kejtdn. On the breast and at the 
hips of the zebiin two inside pockets, mahba (pl., mahdbi), are 
Sewn on. The zebin, if made of white linen without a lining, 
is called sdje; if made of white linen with a lining it is called 
zebun béza; if of black half-silk with yellow stripes it is called 
mejdani; if of pure silk with variegated stripes it is called an- 
mar; and if of cotton with variegated stripes it is called dima. 

Both towb and zebiuin are fastened to the body by a leather 
or woollen belt, mahzam, of about a hand’s breadth. 

A man covers his head with a round cap woven of rough 
wool or camel’s hair, ¢d2i77e, on top of which he lays a ker- 
chief about 1.2 meters long and 1.15 meters wide. Folding it 
at first like a triangle, he throws the middle lappet, dil, back 
over his shoulder, arranges the outside ones, riglén, with both 
his right and left hands to an equal length, and then pulls the 
headcloth over the middle of his forehead. Most of the time 
the Rwejli wears cotton kerchiefs of some dark color, mindil, 
seldom of pure white, kzdza. A mindil woven of red and black 
threads is called Sammarijje; a black mindil shot with red is 
a hendijje; one with variegated dots is a stambilij7e. Homsi 
is the name of a mindil with yellow or pink stripes; Smdr, 
of a blue or red checkered one. A kzdza, or white kerchief 
with a red or blue border and short fringe, hadab, is called 


120 RWALA BEDOUINS 


hasije. A silken kerchief is called makruna; if interwoven 
with silver threads, it is known as a’ mkassaba. Most popular 
of all is a dark-blue makrina or a violet one shot with red. 
A pure white makruna is worn by the chief alone and that 
only on festive occasions. As soon as it becomes soiled, the 
chief gives it to a negro. The kerchief is not tied to the 
head, but merely fastened with a cord about one inch thick 
made of wool or camel’s hair and wrapped double around 
the forehead and the skull, ‘aséba. The lappets are crossed 
under the chin and pulled through under the ‘asdba, so that 
they project above the forehead like two small horns. A man 
who has the lappets of the kerchief, riglén, crossed under 
the chin, is known as mutalattam. If he does not wish to be 
recognized, he simply pulls them up above his chin, even over 
the nose, so that only his eyes are uncovered. Whoever meets 
a man thus disguised, shouts: “Remove the curtain, so that 
I can recognize thee; fukk al-lutma hatt-a‘refk.” 

The most important part of a man’s dress is the cloak, 
‘aba’. It is made from two pieces, each 2.5 meters long and 
60 centimeters wide. These are sewn together along their long 
sides; the narrow edges are folded, and their upper ends also 
sewn together. In the two folds at the top, which are about 
sixty centimeters broad, holes are cut about fifty centimeters 
long. The cloak is then thrown over the shoulders and the 
hands thrust through the holes. Around the neck and along 
the breast the mantle is often embroidered, or a strip woven 
of yellow and gold threads is added. A light-gray mantle shot 
with yellow is called bist; a light-gray one made of fine wool 
is a hdéije; a light-gray one of half cotton is a lumzjje; one 
of medium weight with long white and dark-gray stripes 
about ten centimeters wide is a mubaddaha; one of the same 
color but made of good wool is a rhe7bdwijje; one of good 
wool with white and reddish stripes is a sa‘duéinijje; a good 
woollen one with white and dark-brown stripes and orna- 
mented at the neck and above the shoulders is a hasawijje; 
one of good wool or camel’s hair, not striped, of a plain color 
(generally black or brown) shot with pink is a mezwi. The in- 
habitants of the oasis of al-Gowf manufacture mantles of the 
bist (Fig. 33) and mezwi varieties. 

In the winter time a sheepskin coat, farwa, is worn by 
the Rwejli instead of the mantle. If it covers only the breast, 
it is called obtijje. A harrdtijje is a sheepskin coat of white 


DRESS AND WEAPONS 121 


wool dyed with henna, unlined and reaching to the abdomen. 
A hajjalijje is made of the same material but lined with 
cloth, mkabbaba, and undyed. A bakdalijje covers the hips 
also, has sleeves falling fifty centimeters below the hands, 


Fic. 833—A Bedouin dressed in a bist. 


and is made of good skins, is usually black and lined with 
darkblue cloth. It is also provided with clasps below the neck 
and on the breast. 

In warm weather the Rwejli either goes barefoot by pre- 
ference or ties around his heel and big toe a sole cut from 
undressed camel’s hide, na‘al. The herdsmen wear a low 
shoe made of rough leather, zerbil, with a thick sole, na‘al 
(or hedwa), a stiff instep, hawra, a low and wide heel, ‘aé- 
bijje, and clasps, bzim, for tightening the shoe. The Rwala 


122 RWALA BEDOUINS 


wrap the feet around with rags, haswa (pl., hasdwi). The 
young chiefs buy shoes, surmdje, of the kind worn in the 
towns. The riders wear boots of fine red leather, Zazme (or 
gazme), with high shoe irons made of rolled sheet iron, hadw. 
The best of all are the Zazme halabijje (Aleppan zazme); the 
cheaper kind is called niswénijje and is generally of a yellow 
color. Zazme reaching to the knees are called rabbdtijje. 

Those who can afford it buy a short coat, not unlike our 
waistcoat, made of a many-colored thin cloth, either unlined, 
nussijje, or lined, derfil. 

The yearly expenditure of a common Rwejli for his cloth- 
ing is as follows: 


hakw, body. belt... yee ee at .. 4 megidijje (%0.221/2) 
tow, hires Set Saas 1 a (”0.90  ) 
zevun; outer Shirt. eee Se 1 et tC?" 0.90) 
maheom,couter belt. ates. oc we 1/4 ss (” 0.221/2) 
LAZtj jer CAD ine Oa eae ie Bs vane, a8 2 (”? 0.221/2) 
mindil, keechief <5 43a oe 1/4 PY (” 0.22!/2) 
‘asaba, kercniel: GOrd . 545. ea ee 1/4 od (? 0.221/2) 
aba wane rt ign ee ek OS Mega © eae) 
farwo, Tavicoat= oie. eros ae 3 ¥ (7 218° 4 
ger Oil i SHOCE: = cats tity eee eee re . 1 > megidijje (70.90 —) 

Total...10!/1 megidijjat ($9.221/2). 


In addition to this his obtij7e, short fur coat, costs him 
11),-2 megidijjdt ($1.35-$1.80), his kzgdza, white kerchief, 
1/, megidijje (22'/, cents), and his nussijje, short coat, */, me- 
gidije (45 cents). 

In winter the Rwejli puts on all the clothes he has, think- 
ing that otherwise he would never get warm. A proverb says: 
“He who does not put on heavy clothing will not get warm 
by carrying it, alli ma jetazzel ma jenazzel.” 


WOMEN’S CLOTHES 


A woman (Fig. 34) wears a dark-blue shirt or dress, 
towb aswad, with broad sleeves ending in a long lappet. The 
shirt fits close to the neck and is about one meter longer 
than the wearer. Nearly every woman sews it herself, two 
pieces, bejramtén, of cotton fabric each eight dra° (6 meters) 
long being necessary for a shirt. The ordinary fabric is called 
mastika, the better sort abu rwése. A woman’s shirt is with- 
out any decoration. It is held to the body by a broad belt 


DRESS AND WEAPONS 123 


woven of red and black cotton or woollen threads and called 
Swéhi. At the front the woman tucks up the long shirt under 
the belt so that her ankles are free, forming the shirt into a 
kind of a skirt, htdil. Her head she wraps in a large dark ker- 


Fic. 34—Rwala women. 


chief, makrina. This she folds in the middle into a triangle. 
Holding the left lappet to her left cheek, she throws the ker- 
chief over her head in such a way that the middle lappet falls 
on her back; the right lappet she then passes under the chin, 
covers with it the left lappet on the left cheek, and folds 
it over her head again, making it hang down the right side 
of the face. Then she folds a mindil, or dark cotton kerchief, 
into a band about five centimeters wide and winds it around 
the makrina, or large kerchief, on her head and forehead. 
In place of the ordinary mindil she may use a band of some 
fine material, such a band being called safa‘a (or mer‘ez), or 
a krajsa of fabric so loosely woven that it may be stretched 
as if it were crochet work. The wrap made from these finer 
goods is called Sitfa. 

A woman’s cloak is made like a man’s, except that it 
never has the long stripes and is either black or dark-brown, 
mMezwe. 

The wealthy Rwejlijje wears a short jacket of blue cloth 
with narrow turned-in sleeves. This is called a gibbe. Good 


124 RXWALA BEDOUINS 


cloth is known in the trade as goh mahtd, common cloth as 
goh hafif. Mezdwi is a silk caftan worn by wealthy women 
over the dress, towb. It has narrow sleeves and covers the 
arms down to the wrists. 

Almost every Rwala woman goes barefoot, but all possess 
some jewelry. Around the neck they wear a mahnaka, or neck- 
lace of red coral; on the breast a Zeldde, or pendant of glass 
pearls; on the elbows small black glass rings, ma‘dged; on the 
wrists similar trinkets, sbat; above the ankles small glass or 
copper rings, hgul; in the ears copper rings, turzijje; on the 
fingers rings, ftdh; and sometimes in the right nostril a cop- 
per ring, zmd@m. The women dearly love this cheap jewelry; 
they save up camel’s hair for a long time and often steal grain 
in order to buy it. 

The wealthier women wrap, jetalaffacen, their heads in 
a covering called sumbar. This is a red shawl 42 centimeters 
wide by 3.2 meters long. They dye it black, leaving only 
about six centimeters as red stripes at both ends. Next they 
eut the shawl lengthways down the middle and sew both 
parts together in such a way that a covering is formed 
84 centimeters wide and 1.6 meters long. If they want to 
wrap their heads in this shawl, j7etalaffa‘en beh, they lay 
one lappet on their left shoulder, stretch the shawl over the 
head, throw the other lappet from the right under the chin, 
and cover with it the lappet on the left shoulder. Then they 
fasten the shawl with a folded kerchief to the forehead and 
skull, pull both lappets up the back, and tuck up the shawl 
in the front till it covers the chin. Young girls like to wear 
both the makrina, or large kerchief, and the sumbar. Both 
lappets of the makrina hang loosely down the breast, while 
the Sumbar is crossed under the chin. If a girl who is fond 
of dress, bint rawjdna, owns a makrina only, she will not tie 
it to her head with the mindil, dark cotton kerchief, but pre- 
fers it to fall down a little, as then her tresses can be seen’ 
to advantage. | 

Every woman likes to dye her palms and nails, and if 
she be old also her hair, with yellow henna, either of the 
Egyptian variety, masrij7e, or of a variety brought from Mecca, 
makkdwijje; the latter is the better. 

Both the youths and girls are fond of dyeing their eyelids 
black with kohl, collyrium or antimony powder, using a small 
sharp knife, mirwad, in this operation. Moistening the mir- 


DRESS AND WEAPONS 125 


wad slightly, they touch the kohl, which is kept in a tiny 
tin box, mikhale, and then rub the color along the borders 
of the eyelids, believing that the use of kohl strengthens the 
eyesight. Many therefore even rub kohl on the edges of a 
telescope, being firmly convinced that the instrument then 
gives a much better view. 


The woman’s dress costs: 


barim, body belt........ HAE NUCT UTTER Hr ee Se ee ($ 0.221/2) 
PORDAS bis ey. eS A MEG Uagy hie ess koa eek C21. 80-5) 
SMe ae Cl tne Wis. 8. 51S x inte giisie aie. sti tee AS (”? 0.22'/2) 
makrina, kerchief ...... DROME (ANY WIE: Re En ee feel (ae so ick} 
Beueneadband......... TLS TLEO LOI 7] Greet © FS igh & (”? 0.221/2) 
nuove, Hackett 0 eo SemeTCOCAT Ole. nh) eee he Ciat. 50 aa) 
meet, Cloak) eo. De MCU LATIIGL A Ree DD Cae TOs) 
mucpnalea,-coral necklace 2. 3... oe 4 piasters (0.18  ) 
Peer MUOR OA tase ee. o. oneale ca 6 ade don., 4 ) tess Oli) 
ma‘azed, elbow ornaments................ 4 “ (22. O15.) 
Ree ONS oe eS nme 4 e (”’0°18  ) 
emom, NOstril ring... -. ; AG NEU IAIIC wae ee es ern Ure ts) 

Total...10 megidijjat, 16 piasters ($9.72 ). 


PEDDLERS; CARE FOR PERSONAL APPEARANCE; 
INFANTS; STAFFS AND CANES 


Whatever the Rwala need for their finery and ornaments 
they either buy from the merchants who visit them when they 
are camping in the settled territory in the months of July 
and August, or from the peddlers, who accompany them 
the whole year through, even going to the inner desert with 
them. A peddler or wandering merchant is called either Rhe}j- 
bawi or Kubejsi: Rhejbawi after the ancient town of ar-Rahba, 
Kubejsi after his native place, the little town of al-Kubejsa. 
The terms Rhejbawi and Kubejsi have come to mean any 
wandering seller of textiles or general merchandise and are 
now applied even to merchants known to hail from other 
places. Thus a peddler from Bagdad is called a Rhejbawi Bar- 
dadi or Kubejsi Bardadi. When a youth overfond of dress, 
dékan, visits a wandering merchant to be measured for a 
suit of clothes, he gives his order in the words of the an- 
cient verse: “Measure me, O merchant! for a shirt with long 
sleeves, measure me, O merchant! O Rhejbawi! Fassel li 74 
tager zafi erddni fassel li 74 tdger jad rhejbdwi.” 


126 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Some say: “The clothes are the wings of the descendants 
of Adam, al-hdim genah beni ddam,” as people always consider 
a well-dressed man something better than he really is. Others 
again claim that the clothes do not add to a man’s good 
qualities. “A good man will be good even if on rising from 
bed (he has nothing on but his shirt), while a scamp will be 
a scamp even if he scrubs himself with soap; az-zén zén low 
ka‘ad min mandmeh as-sén Sén low tarassal bes-sdbin.” 

A maiden suing for a youth’s favor is careful of her 
appearance and dresses to the best of her ability, but as soon 
as she knows herself to be loved she cares no more for dress- 
ing finely and thinks only of her lover’s qualities. A popular 
ditty says: 


W-allah ja gerd larmik w-albes gedid 
aj) al-gedid w-aj) al-gerdi 

ilja Suft az-zén ‘akli jerdi 

ekrun as-Sowk rumh as-serdi. 


By Allah, I shall cast thee aside, old dress, and put on 
a new one. 
But which is the new and which the old? 
If I see a noble youth, my judgment is gone, ; 
For has not my beloved plaits as long as a spear car- 
ried by the Serdijje? 


At home in his tent the man can leave off his cloak, 
‘aba’, or his sheepskin coat, farwa, or he can go, as the say- 
ing is, in a dress below his belt, behdim al-mahzam; outside, 
however, he must not appear in that condition, for that would 
be an offence against common decency. If a traveler arrives 
without his mantle or sheepskin coat, he makes it known 
either that he has been robbed or has lost those articles. In 
dangerous districts a Rwejli will only loosen his belt in the 
evening and will go to bed fully dressed. Elsewhere he sleeps 
either in his shirt or even naked, merely wrapped in his mantle. 
If suddenly awakened by noise at night, he jumps out of his 
bed, snatches up his arms, and pressing the cloak to the body 
with his left hand, rushes out to see what has happened. 

The hips of a baby are plastered with dry camel’s ma- 
nure, dimne; the baby is then wrapped in a long shawl tied 
with a thin string and fastened by two ropes of camel’s hair 
to the two main tent stakes, and the cradle, mhdd, is ready. 


DRESS AND WEAPONS 127 


The dry manure absorbs the baby’s urine and excrements. In 
its second year the child gets a dark-blue shirt, twéb, and 
its little head is covered with a hood, kaba‘, tied with two 
cords, ‘elta, under the chin. Likewise shoes, een fee are put 
on its feet. 

Every Rwejli carries a stick, as staffs are generally 
needed for directing the riding camels. These sticks are thin 
and about eighty centimeters long; they are called mehgdn 
and are as a rule made by the Rwala themselves from strong 
Saplings, preferably those cut from almond trees. One end is 
perforated and a strong cord tied into a sling pulled through 
the hole.-The hand is then passed through the sling and the 
mehgan hangs from the wrist. The other, or thicker, end of 
the stick is carved into an ibis head to the length of about 
eight centimeters and a width of, say, three and a half cénti- 
meters. The bdkir is a stick also provided with a cord at one 
end, the other being bent in a semicircle. The matrak is en- 
tirely straight. Both the bdkiir and matrak are bought from 
the peddlers; they are rattan, hajzardni, sticks. The kana’ is 
a heavy cane about seventy centimeters long and ending in 
a knob. The maslit is a staff 1.2 meters long, stout but not 
too heavy. In the first third of its length it is perforated and 
a thin strap forming a sling is pulled through the hole; the 
staff hangs from the saddle by the sling. The madrub algae 
resembles a maslit but is much stouter, heavier, and from 
the middle upwards visibly thicker. All three, kanw’, maslit, 
and madrub, are properly weapons. 


SMOKING PIPES 


Many Rwala — both men and women — are fond of smok- 
ing. Every smoker has a pipe. A man’s pipe is called sebil, 
a woman’s raljun. The Rwejli either carves a sebil himself 
from a soft stone or buys it from a Kubejsi. The sebil is a 
one-piece pipe, forming an elbow. Its thinnest part is the 
horizontal mouthpiece, which is about nine centimeters long 
and is called the dél. The angle of the elbow is named ties 
the vertical bowl about five centimeters long is the Tas, and 
the inside the batn. The mouth of the bought sebil is en- 
closed by a brass ring, towk, from which hangs a chain, 
sinsile, with a brass cap, kab‘ijje, to prevent the smoldering 
tobacco from falling out. A wire, mibhdas, serves as the pipe 


128 RWALA BEDOUINS 


cleaner. A chief shouts to his negro: “Fill my pipe, ‘ammer 
li-s-sebil. Clean the pipe so that it will not clog, ebhas as- 
sebil la jinsedd.” A raljun consists of three parts: the pipe 
proper, biz, a long wooden stem, ksuba, and the mouthpiece, 
MASSa. 

Both the tobacco and steel and tinder for lighting it the 
Bedouin carries in leather pouches known as sfara and sifen 
respectively. The flint is called salbuh, the steel zendd, and the 
tinder gadha. The last the Bedouin either prepares himself 
from dry, powdered sth, or kutejn, or buys from a merchant. 


Poems Relating to Smoking 


“The pipe and the effects of smoking are mentioned in 
more than one poem. The first two verses of the following 
poem composed by Nimr eben ‘Adwan are universally known, 
while the rest could be recited by a few only: 


1. Jd Sama‘at as-subjan ‘ammer lena-l-buz 
w-emlih min at-titen al-rwejri w-ndseh 

2. ahejr ‘endi min hebb kill mambuz 
‘azmen twal al-lejl zitred na‘dse 

3. ma* delleten jeabba leha-l-hejl w-al-gowz 
w-asrin ‘uden “drefin Z1jdseh 

4. ma’ sat musléhen leha-l-‘atel marktz 
w-mzajjenen habb al-lekejmi elbdseh 

5. jatben ad-dasmin as-swareb hal-ar-ruz 
fakkakt al-mazhtr jowm ehtwdseh 

6. rabi hal ar-radddd ma zarbehom hiz 
cam wiaheden min felihom tah radseh 

7. w-lad hom msawert al-‘agdjez hal al-kuz 
alli mahadcthom drib an-nekdse 

8. 7a rabb ja-lli tenbet al-‘eseb ledruz 
la tegma‘ al-fuzza al-baz nahdse 

9. cam kdleten rollah wara-s-sadr maknuz 
w-tamzi w-hi bil-cabd mitl al-haldse. 


1. O, merry youth! fill the damaged pipe for us, 
Fill it with tobacco from Rowr and give it here, 

2. For dearer to me than the kisses of any full-hipped maid 
Is that little bone which in a long night drives away slumber. 


DRESS AND WEAPONS 129 


3. And, likewise, fill the pot into which cardamom, nutmeg, 
And twenty fragrant stalks in the proper quantity are put. 

4. Bring also a fat sheep, to hold which a ealdron is put 
on the fire, 

A sheep to be wrapped in a garment garnished with 
mouthfuls of grain. 

5. Then with fat shine the mustaches of grave men, 

Liberators of chattel-burdened camels found in the midst 
of fighting. 
6. My comrades can parry well, their blows are not feints. 

How many have already lost their heads through their 
deeds ! 

7. They consult not old women, nor are they engaged in 
selling butter; 
They are not men who talk only of satisfying carnal passion. 
8. O Lord! O Thou who causest plants to grow also for Druses! 

Take not the silver to thyself, leaving the world nothing 
but worthless copper. 

9. How many a calumny, causing pain when treasured up 
in the breast, 

Will vanish, and yet it dwelt in the heart as if it were 
pure truth. 


The reciter was GwAd al-‘Ani. 

Verse 1. A short pipe, sebil, often breaks at the elbow. 
If the peddler has no pipes for sale, the smoker provides for 
himself. The broken mouthpiece is replaced by a small thin 
bone which he fixes into the remnant of the pipe, tying it 
with leather and sewing it firmly together to prevent the 
smoke from escaping. A pipe thus repaired is called baz. But 
the same name is given to the pipe bowl, while the small 
bone held in the mouth is called ‘agm, or bizz, or bezz. 2.‘Azm 
al-buz is the bone piece held in the mouth. Al-mambiz is a 
woman broad in the hips and shoulders and with a slender 
waist, umm ar-rdif w-al-ktif setéjaha mambizat. 4. M uslah 
is a conscientious herdsman whose flock does not suffer from 
hunger, therefore §dt muslahen signifies a fat sheep. ‘Atel is 
a poetical expression for a large kettle, or Zidr. M arkuz, placed, 
because a kettle is placed on three stones over the fire. Habb 
al-lekejmi is the dish of ‘e7% prepared from grains of wheat; 
the eater takes small bits, lokm, in his fingers and wraps it 
around small pieces of meat. 6. Hviz means a jest, a feint in 


130 RWALA BEDOUINS 


dueling. 7. Ktiz is a pear-shaped earthen vessel, used for 
measuring butter. The men who sell butter are misers. The 
butter should be consumed in the tent. 

Hmar abu ‘Awwad knew the first two verses. According 
to him, the second one runs as follows: 


aladd w-ahla min naba kill mambuz 
‘azmen towli jetred nadse. 


More pleasant and sweeter than the word sent by a full- 
hipped maid 
Is the little bone which pleasantly repels slumber. 


Tumbac, Nicotiana persica, Lindl., is smoked in a water 
pipe by certain chiefs only. The common Rwala think that 
tumbac is injurious to the health and also stupefies the powers 
of observation. Often have I heard the verses: 


Jad sdreb at-tumbak sdrebk la tal 
ajjak w-ajji waheden hal duneh. 


O thou who smokest tumbac! if thou smokest long, 
Woe to thee and woe to me, for there is one who is 
drawing near. 


Thus spoke a woman of the ‘Agman tribe, who camp on 
the Persian Gulf, to her husband, who could not, even at night- 
time, part with his water pipe, narkile. Angered by this habit, 
she reminded him by that verse that she might find some 
one to take the place of the husband who loved nothing but 
his tumbac. No sooner had the Bedouin heard these words, 
than he threw the water pipe on the ground, seized his saber, 
and asked the woman to explain the verse. She hesitated at 
first, but, realizing that the husband was greatly excited, she 
said: 


Sarrdbt at-tumbak mathom fuza bal 
elja tal Sdreb waheden jekasriuneh. 


Those who smoke tumbac have a big heart, 
If one smokes too much, he must be warned. 


The man pondered over her words, became calmer, and 
promised not to smoke as much as before. 


DRESS AND WEAPONS 131 
The Rwala add to the last verse: 


Jistahel at-tumbak mitl eben hadddl 
alli gasurreh bimtdni rediineh. 


He cannot live without tumbac, like Eben Haddal, 
Who ties it even into the folds of his sleeves. 


Fahad eben Haddal, the head chief of the “Amarat, who 
camp on both sides of the middle Euphrates, like many other 
chiefs carried his water pipe on his camel even when mi- 
grating or on long marches. During the short halts, when 
waiting for the pack camels to come up, he would pour water 
into the pipe from a small pouch, put some moistened and 
crushed tumbac in the bowl, lay a red coal on top of it, and 
smoke. Such smokers usually have the tumbac tied in the 
lappets of their long shirt sleeves. An inveterate smoker of 
tumbac is generally punished with asthma. 


WEAPONS 


In every camp there are men employed in hunting. The 
duty of some of them is to supply the chief with meat for 
a strictly fixed sum. Such men always carry an old gun and 
ammunition with them. The ammunition belt, medhar, is made 
of stout leather, sér, to which two leather straps, gndd, are 
sewn behind; passing over the shoulders like suspenders, they 
are crossed over the breast and hooked by two iron clasps, 
bzim, to the belt in front. To each suspender, genad, two 
burnished copper tubes, tetdrif, for powder are fastened. On 
the right of the belt the scabbard, gwa’, of a dagger, sibrijzje, 
with an ornamented grip, nsdb, is sewn; here also is tied a 
pouch, mahrat, containing lead bullets, small shot, rags, and 
caps, kubsun. A hunter who does not carry his powder in the 
copper tubes, keeps it behind his belt in a small horn, karn 
ad-dahir, made of zine or brass. Fastened to the belt with a 
long thin chain or leather cord is a large clasp knife, hawsa, 
used in cutting the throat of the captured game, so that the 
blood may flow out. The rifles used by the hunters have caps 
and even obsolete flint locks. | 

For fighting, the Rwala have rifles of as-sam‘, as-séhédni, 
and Mauser makes. Among the common Bedouins before the 
World War the sam‘, an old English military gun, was the most 


132 RWALA BEDOUINS 


popular. A genuine one cost 40 to 45 megidijjat ($36-$ 40.50) 
and was imported chiefly from Egypt; an imitation, tuggd- 
rijje, which came from India, sold for 28 to 30 megidij7at 
($25.20-$29). The séhdni is a Turkish military rifle, a Martini; 
the umm sunki kind of séhdni could be bought for 50-60 megi- 
dijjat ($45-$54), the umm kufl variety for 40-50 megidijjat 
($36-$45). All modern rifles are called Mausers by the Be- 
douins. Breechloaders are not liked by the Rwala and the 
rifles fitted with breechblocks, wnmu-s-sba‘, are less sought 
after than those without. The original Mausers, especially the 
Mannlichers, cost 50-60 megidijjat ($45-$54); the imitations, 
tuggdari, were sold for as much as 20 megidij7dt ($18) less. 
All arms were brought from the seaports of Jidda or al-Kwe}t. 
During my stay with Prince an-Nutri he was visited by six 
trade caravans with war munitions. One of the caravans num- 
bered 210 camels carrying more than a thousand rifles with 
many thousand rounds of cartridges as well as much lead, 
gunpowder, and many caps. In the camp of every tribe an 
expert mechanic may be found, who can repair guns and 
manufacture cartridges. 

From time to time both the sons and negroes of the 
chiefs practice shooting. Their target, nisdn, generally is a 
black stone, a stick with a kerchief tied to it, or an old 
piece of clothing. The best marksman is rewarded by the 
chief with the head of the first camel he slaughters. Ramje 
(pl., rami) signifies a report, a shot. “Barudi ‘araft ramiha”’ 
means “I know the reports of my rifle; “w-allah ramiha 
zen,’ “she shoots well.” A binduk is a bdrud rifle with a 
flintlock or caps and is always feminine. 


Ma‘ binduken lafzdt fammiha jesebni 
laha ‘ala hatwa-l-mugannah mardmi. 


A rifle, the reports of whose mouth help me to reach my aim 
And whose shots are destined for many a feathered one. 


The words for bullet are taldti, rba%, hmdsi, stati — the 
last being of the largest caliber. SéShdne, or SéShdn, are old 
rifles whose barrels are five or six-angled on the inside. If 
the barrel is round, or at least smooth, it is called hamra. 
Bindukije are men armed with binduk rifles. 

Of the ancient weapons the spear, sword, saber, and 
dagger still survive. The spear, rumh, consists of a steel or 


“7 


DRESS AND WEAPONS 133 


iron blade sharpened on both edges and a wooden Shaft, ‘ad. 
The blade is either broad, in which case it is called Salfa, or 
narrow, harba. The salfa either is brought from Persia, ‘aga- 
mijje, in which case it costs 2 or 3 megidisjat ($1.80-$2.70), 
or is a common one made by a blacksmith from iron for half 
a megidijje (45 cents). The harba, manufactured chiefly in the 
town of ad-Dejr on the right bank of the Euphrates, is also 
called “arejnijje and sells for a quarter to a half megidijje 
(22*/,—-45 cents). The sharpened edge of the Salfa or harba 
is called ‘asla; the lower end driven into the wooden shaft, 
gibb. For the shaft, ‘vid, either a thin but strong piece of wood, 
‘erc, or a thick piece, Ssdéri, is used; shafts are also made from 
a hollow bamboo-reed, ksuba, costing generally 1 megidijje (90 
cents). The lower end of the shaft is provided with an iron point, 
kuntar, so that the spear can be stuck in the ground. Sometimes 
the spear is ornamented with ostrich feathers or thin chains 
fastened to the gibb. 

The sword, nemesa, is either a morrebi, with three long 
grooves, costing 2-40 megidijjat ($1.80-$36); a Sentijdn, very 
flexible, costing 2-10 megidijjat ($1.80-$9); or a hsénijje, with 
a single long groove, also costing 2-10 megidis7t. 

The sabers, sejf, are as follows: dadbdn, 5-10 megidij7at 
($4.50-$9); hendi, made of black steel, 40-150 megidij7at 
($36-$135) ; ‘agami, of gray steel, 5-40 megidisjat ($4.50 -$36); 
or the gawhar, made of cast steel from Horasan, 150 megi- 
dijjat ($135). The grip, kuma’, of the sword or saber often 
extends up to the Subbdk guard, where the blade begins, and 
is richly ornamented with gold and silver. The scabbard, gefir, 
is provided with two metal rings, hwdmel, to which the cord 
used in hanging up the sword or saber is fastened. 

The dagger is either short and narrow, Sibrizje, or broad 
and long, kdejmi, or broad and short, hangar. It costs as much 
as 3 megidijjat ($2.70), but if the handle is ornamented with 
gold chains and precious stones it may cost 50 megidisjat ($45) 
and even more. 

Spears are carried mainly by the poorer Bedouins, the 
sword and saber only by the more important men; but every 
- one is in possession of firearms, be it a revolver or a rifle. 

The revolver, reddni, is either the old heavy kind, karadar, 
which was formerly used by the Montenegrins and is sold for 
12 to 14 megidijjat ($10.80-$12.60), or the Mauser, either 
of the santetén or enklési variety. The original sdntetén, from 


134 RWALA BEDOUINS 


St. Etienne, cost 20-22 megidijjat ($18-$19.80); its nickel 
imitation, manufactured in Egypt and al-Basra, sold for 4-15 
megidijjat ($3.60-$13.50). 


CARE OF THE PERSON 


To cleanliness the Rwala pay but scant attention. Water 
must not be wasted, as there is hardly enough for drinking 
and cooking. In a sand desert they rub their hands and faces 
with clean dry sand. The clothes are washed and a bath is 
taken only when they camp near a large rain pond. The youths 
make their ablutions in the day time, the girls in the evening. 
The clothes are washed, as a rule, by a negro or a Slejb 
woman, the mistress of the tent and her daughters looking 
on disinterestedly, scratching themselves all the while, for it 
never occurs to them to rid themselves of their lice or to cleanse 
their dresses thoroughly. Once in a while, perhaps, a wife will 
delouse her husband, tefli brdseh, a sister her brother or sweet- 
heart, a mother her children, and women other women. Soap 
is kept only by.the chiefs for their guests. For themselves they 
gather sndn, drying, powdering, and then using it in wash- 
ing. I brought European soap to some women, but instead of 
washing themselves with it, they rubbed it dry all over their 
hands and body for the sake of its pleasant odor. 

The tribes and even the clans of the Rwala differ not 
only in their dialect, but also in their dress. All Rwala wear 
the same dress, but of different colors, cut, and ornament. 
If a Rwejli sights a troop of riders in the distance, he can 
tell at once whether they are Rwala and of what clan. He 
knows this from their saddles and decorations on their saddle- 
bags; the color of their kerchiefs, mantles, boots; the fashion 
in which they are dressed; their style of sitting in the 
saddle, etc. He can distinguish from afar a Fregi from a 
Kweéécbi, and these from a Mur‘azi. Still greater are the dissimil- 
arities between the Rwala and the Sba‘a or Skar. A stranger 
needs months in which to learn the differences in the dress 
of the various ‘Aneze tribes — and years before he is able to 
distinguish the members of the different clans of the same tribe. | 


CHAPTER VII 
MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 


It is the duty of every Rwejli capable of procreation to 
marry. This duty is laid upon him by his connection with his 
kinsmen. The more numerous these are, the more power and 
influence they possess. The individual who refused to defend 
the rights of his kin would be expelled, and whoever deliberately 
declined to multiply its defenders would meet the same fate. 
Without his kin, ahl, the Bedouin would be the most wretched 
of beings. 

To marriage the Rwejli is led by mutual inclination or 
love. A boy of twelve has a liking for a girl of the same age, 
and it is generally recognized; no one objects. It is said: “Love 
comes from Allah, al-mhabbe min allah.” The boy calls on his 
beloved in her tent, talks with her there, helps with the work, 
and the parents recollect the time of their first love. An older 
boy may join his sweetheart where and whenever he wishes 
to. He helps her water the camels, draw the water, strike and 
pitch the tent; he attends her on the march, and pays her 
a visit in the evening. Usually they meet in a tent that is 
either vacant or little visited. The Sararat women whose hus- 
bands are serving as herdsmen or who are widowed gladly 
lend their small tents, hardbis, for the lovers’ meetings. There 
in the cold seasons of the year they sit all night by the fire, 
parting only when the morning star makes its appearance. In 
the warm season, especially when camping in the Nefiid, the 
lovers sit down on a sand drift in the shade of a tall raza 
bush to talk of everything and nothing. Their love they declare 
to each other in these words: 

“Thou art the slumber of mine eyes, enti nowm ‘ajni; 
thou art my desire, ent murddi; thou art my food and drink, 
enti akli w-sirbi; thou art my creed, ent dini,” and so on. 

The enamored Rwejli likes to say: “I wish to fast and 
pray, but only in honor of those with loosened hair; in honor 
of Allah’s countenance I shall not pray; ana-stiim w-selli Ind- 


kezat al-‘acadris w-illa lwagh allah mani msalli.” Or: “I will not 
135 


136 | RWALA BEDOUINS 


pray until I get her who warms me in her broad sleeves; then 
I will pray; mani msalli lawla’? hass li zaéfi ar-rdén sallejt.” 


LIMITATIONS ON THE CHOICE OF A WIFE 


In the choice of a wife the Rwejli is considerably limited. 
He must not marry the divorced wife of his father nor her 
daughter, not even if she was begotten by another man. He 
is not allowed to marry the divorced wife of his son or his 
son’s widow, the mother of his wife, the daughter of his brother 
or sister. Neither may he marry his foster sister. No member 
of the Eben Sa‘lan kin will take to wife a daughter of the 
Hwetat or Beni ‘Atijje tribes nor allow his daughters to 
marry any of them. Neither the Hwétat nor Beni “Atijje are 
by birth equal to the Eben Sa‘ 1An, because they paid, as late 
as the first half of the nineteenth century, a tax for pro- 
tection, hwa, to the despised Sararat tribe and camped with 
them as their kusara, or protected neighbors. 

No Rwejli dares marry a member of the Slejb, al-Hawazem, 
al-Fhej sat, Sararat, or ‘Azem tribes. All these are also called 
Htejm. They have their chiefs and their social organization, 
they live in tents and breed camels just like the other Bedouins, 
and yet they are not held in esteem. The reason is that they 
pay a tax for protection, hwa; that they are neither able to 
protect themselves nor gain full independence. Being thus 
compelled to buy the protection of the more vigorous tribes, 
they are not allowed to enter into blood relationship with their 
protectors. They are hwdn, they pay hwa— and their sons 
will pay too. Their countenance, or honor, is as white as that 
of the Rwala, but they are not held in the same esteem. They 
do not live with the Bedouins as strangers, but as neighbors, 
kusara. If they serve them, they serve them as fedawijje, 
free servants, which is not considered a disgrace because 
members of large Bedouin tribes also hire themselves as  feda- 
wijje to the more powerful chiefs. 

A Rwejli cannot marry the daughter of a blacksmith, 
sane’ (pl., sunnd‘) or other mechanic who camps with the 
Rwala or lives in their settlements. It is said of the sunnd‘, 
that they are no asitlin — that is, that they have no recog- 
nized genealogy — and even that nothing is known about their 
true descent, as they marry newcomers from various towns, 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 137 


settlements, and tribes regardless of whether they are auton- 
omous, free, dependent, or slaves. 

Marriages with slaves are also forbidden. A man marrying 
a slave would be killed by his kin, ahl. No one dares defile 
the blood of his kin. 

Moreover there are inequalities even among the free Arab 
tribes. All those belonging to the ‘Aneze group consider them- 
Selves aristocrats, hold the other tribes in contempt, and dislike 
forming matrimonial bonds with them. The children born of 
such wedlock often hear these ironical remarks: 

“Thou wilt come to nothing, for thou art only half a 
Rwejli; blood will not mix well with blood; thou wilt resemble 
thy mother’s kin,” ete. 


Rights of the Eben al--Amm 


The children of parents descended from the respectable 
old “Aneze families are the best. Yet even here the bridegroom 
is not entirely free in choosing a wife, for according to the 
ancient custom every girl is to wed the nearest young relative 
whom it is permissible to marry, eben al-‘amm. This is, gener- 
ally, a son of her father’s cousin; should this cousin have no 
sons or if the grandfather had no brothers, the girl falls to 
the nearest kinsman descended from the great-grandfather’s 
brother. The eben al-‘amm occasionally claims the girl, jehag- 
gerha, exclusively for himself, but, even if he does not, the girl 
cannot marry without his consent, for it is said: “No one but 
the nearest kinsman can tie or untie her, ‘okdha w-hallha bjad 
eben ‘ammiha (sic!).”’ Only when her father wants to marry 
again and gives her in exchange for his new wife, jebaddelha 
lnafseh, is the eben al-‘amm’s claim null and void. On the 
other hand, if the girl refuses to be wedded to her eben al- 
‘amm, he may kill her without becoming liable for compen- 
sation. 

If the eben al-‘amm knows that the girl will not hear of 
him, being already in love with someone else, he forbids the 
marriage and the girl grows old. 

If the father of the girl claimed by her eben al-amm 
dies and the girl loves another, she goes immediately after 
the father’s death to the relative who claims her exclusively 
for himself, called in this case haggir, and asks: “My father 
has passed away; I want thee to release my neck; I want thee 


138 RWALA BEDOUINS 


to release me in return for my father, who has passed away; 
ana abtij rah abrik teguz min rukubti abrik tedasserni ‘awdaz 
abuj rah.” The haggir is expected to take pity on her and 
allow her freely to choose a husband for herself, but nobody 
can compel him to do so. 

In case of his refusal there is nothing left for the girl 
but to elope. She flees with her youth to some distant tribe; 
there they put themselves under the protection of a powerful 
chief, ginhdsuin jamm al-‘arab jetazabbentinhom. They can then 
marry and live as man and wife in the same tent but are always 
threatened with the revenge of the eben al-‘amm. An elopement 
is punished in the same way as murder, and the thirst for 
revenge must be satisfied. 

‘Ags al-Mséhi was in love with a Rwala girl and wanted 
to marry her. To this her eben al-amm would not consent. 
After three years of hopeless love, mutahdwin hw w-i77aha 
talat sinin, ‘Aga& fled with his sweetheart to the Ahl as- 
Semal, tribes camping in the neighborhood of the Hawran. 
As soon as the news spread next morning that the lovers had 
escaped, innahom minhdsin, the eben al-‘amm with his kins- 
folk mounted their camels and went in pursuit of the lovers, 
talab. But ‘Agag& reached his destination, was given a tent, 
and was united to the girl in marriage. His kinsfolk offered 
the pursuing relative a ransom, but the latter steadily refused. 
Leaving his tent two months afterwards, he went in search 
of ‘Agags, whom he found and killed with his young bride. 
Returning home, he demanded in the name of his kin from 
the kin of ‘Agag the blood money for seven murdered men, 
because the murder of an eloped woman, Semdta, is valued 
at that of seven men. Her lover should not have eloped with 
her, but, having done so, he should have protected her better, 
knowing the danger with which she was threatened. 

If the eben al-amm kills the man who has eloped with 
the girl, he pays only half of the blood money, as the eloper 
was himself the cause of his own death. 

Diban, the white slave of Megwel’s family, fell in love 
with a Rwala girl, who returned his affection. Both knew 
that they could never belong to each other, for a slave, though 
white, dares not marry even the poorest Rwala woman. So 
they decided to escape to some settled country and to live in 
one of the villages there. But they were pursued and the girl 
was killed by her own brother. 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 139 


A single Rwejli of the ‘Abdelle clan eloped with a white 
Slave girl. The search for him proved useless — he disappeared 
without leaving a trace. Should he ever return, he would be 
killed by his own kin. 

When a youth wishes to marry a certain girl, he confides 
his secret to some older friend, begging him to find out from 
his father whether he agrees to his wooing or not. It is con- 
sidered bad form, ‘ajb, for the son to ask his father for this 
permission. The father, who as a rule knows all the time which 
girl the son has chosen, says after hearing the news: “If it 
is Allah’s will, it will be good. Be it blessed. This day is already 
gone; to-morrow we shall realize his wish; al-jowm fat bukra 
nakzi raradeh.” Next day the father goes with some prominent 
man to the father of the girl. They sit down, exchange greet- 
ings, talk about various matters, and finally say: 

“We want thy daughter X for the youth Y, nabri minak 
bintak al-flane lil-walad al-flani.” 7 

“All right. Salt cannot be increased except with salt again. 
Tajjeb ma-zud al-meleh illa-l-melaéh. I am satisfied. Let them 
beget children together. Speak with her cousin, eben ‘ammha.” 

Then they go to the eben al-‘amm, sit down, salute, and 
converse a while. The youth’s father rises, beckons to the 
cousin or the second cousin, leaves the tent with him, and they 
squat down at some distance from the tent, where nobody can 
hear them. 

“We give thee good evening, numassik bel-hejr.” 

“Oh, good evening to you both! 74 masa-l-hejr. You surely 
did not come to me without desiring something, md-ntom bela 
1@ raraz.” 

‘Yes, we come with a certain desire; na‘am gdjin bel- 
raraz.” 

“Then speak! ehregu.”’ 

“May Allah add to thy days! We want her for him, and 
what thou desirest we hold ready for thee.” 

Now if the eben al-amm agrees to the girl’s marriage, 
he says: “I want this and that.” If he does not, he answers: 
“She is destined to be my wife. I will not give her.” But if 
he has no intention of marrying the girl himself and wants 
no compensation, he ends the parley with the words: “I wish 
you well,’’ 

The dowry or price demanded for the bride is expressed 
by the word sijdk. This means only the value put on the bride 


140 RWALA BEDOUINS 


or on a mare. The szjdk is not strictly stipulated. If the eben 
al-"amm asks much, much must be given him. It is always to 
him that the si7@k is delivered. Only when he dies and there 
is nobody else to care for the girl, the whole sijadk goes to 
her father as soon as the wedding is over, a‘ras ‘alejha. The 
usual compensation for the bride is one or two she-camels 
and the first mare captured after the wedding. One she-camel 
always goes to the mother of the girl for having nursed the 
bride. This animal is called bay al-ku‘, elbow camel, because 
the mother used to lean her elbow against the ground when 
suckling her daughter. 


LOVE DITTIES AND POEMS 


The delights and sorrows of love are expressed by the 
Rwejli in short ditties known as hegejni or tatwih. Some 
compose their own, others borrow and adorn them with their 
own name, as if they were the authors. It is said in this 
respect: 


Hegejnijjeten kalladawha-l-‘akal 
kalladawha-l-brijjesem w-ris an-na‘am. 


The hegejni ditty they adorned with a head rope, 
Adorned it with silk and ostrich feathers. 


When a warrior pardons his enemy, he lays his head rope, 
‘akdl, around the latter’s neck as a sign that this particular 
enemy belongs to him with all he may possess, and then he 
throws himself into the fight again. The composer of a he- 
gejni song adorns it not merely with his head rope but with 
silk and ostrich feathers as well, so that nobody can steal it 
from him — but all this without avail. There are many who 
like to appropriate a pretty song, although it does not belong 
to them. 


In Praise of Lovers; The Delights of Love 


Ja Sammi wa’? bint al-rardwi 
tabrinit w-ana-ridaha 

w-elja tahattat bel-hazawi 
ahadat klejbi bidaha. 


Oh, uncle, Rarawi’s daughter 
Wants me and I long for her; 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 141 


When she goes by in her fringed kerchief, 
She takes my little heart away in her hand. 


Al-Rarawi was a Rwejli whose daughter was famous for 
her beauty. Hazéwi means the long elaborately twisted fringe 
of a silk kerchief, makrtina, with which a belle covers her 
forehead and face. 


Hadi twaref ‘arab helli 

j@ marhaba jé ‘arab Sha 
‘adrub ahtha jsigib as-sowl 
cam: rdijen ‘awwadeh siha 
jad hdejdeha bwérez al-hemlil 
min mizneten bass laha ziha. 


These are the borders of the Arab camp where dwells 
Hail, O Arabs, with whom Siha camps! [my darling. 
‘Adrtb, her brother, brings sumpter camels as booty. 
Oh! how many a herdsman has he taught to utter the 

warning cry! 
Her cheeks are like flashes of lightning from a rainy belt 
From a cloud which appears full of milk. 


’ 


Ahtha is the lover of Siha. Jigib as-Sowl means “brings, 
or leads, in from a raid camels able to carry heavy burdens.” 
When the tents are being moved, all supplies are loaded by 
the women, who therefore like strong camels. The herdsman 
is not in a position to defend his herd; he merely gives the 
alarm cry. Hemlil is a long, narrow streak or belt of rain 
coming from a cloud where there is constant lightning which 
gives the cloud the appearance of being filled with milk. The 
milky white luster issuing from it reminds the poet of the 
white, rosy cheeks of Sitha. 


Jad wenneti wennet as-Senne 
rabdbaten bjad la“dbi 

rthat ‘asiri leha benne 

ja ‘ambaren bjad gallabi. 


My sigh is like the sigh of the hide stretched 
On a rebec in the hand of the player. 

The fragrance of my beloved is as pleasant 
As amber in the hand of the hawker. 


142 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Senne is the piece of an old, thoroughly dried hide which 
is stretched over the round hole of the violin-like rebec. It 
forms the sounding space and vibrates whenever the bow is 
drawn across the strings. Riha means, properly, a vile and 
benna a pleasant odor. Galldb is a merchant who does not 
sell for money but furnishes the women with perfumes and 
ornaments, taking from them camel’s hair, traveling bags, 
mezadwed, fancy saddle bands, sefdjef, etc., in exchange. 


Jad héh 7a raceb al-ath 
sallem w-rudd as-salamati 
sallem ‘ala-liu nwa Zatlh 
kul la la hajjen w-lad mati. 


Hail: to thee, who ridest a bony camel, 
Salute and the salutes return! 

Greet him who has resolved to destroy me, 
And say I neither live nor am dead. 


‘Athi (or ‘atel) is a bony camel. Rudd as-saldmati, return 
the salutes—the visitor first salutes all present and is in turn 
saluted by each of them separately; he again answers every 
salute. To the ditty just cited the Rwala add the following: 


w-tnejwateh tekel satli 
w-nhejdeh béz al-hamamati. 


Her teeth are like grains of rice 
And her breasts round as the eggs of a pigeon. 


Judged by its content this verse does not belong to the 
ditty; it may be a fragment of another with a similar rhyme. 

Satli is the same as habb ar-ruzz or habb at-tummen, 
grains of rice or of tummen. 


Al-wagd wagdi ‘ala dbajje 
wagd al-abkdr al-ma‘atisi 
dagen w-lagen ‘ala-t-tajje 
w-al-mav baiden w-la nisi 
ja krtinaha jadten al-mijje 
mitl as-sefajef ‘ala-l-gisi 
ja nhiidaha béz kudrijje 
tazfi ‘alejh al-aédarisi. 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 143 


Pain, my pain because of Dbajje; 

A pain like that of thirsty young she-camels 

Who stagger from side to side at the well’s mouth — 
But the water is deep down, and there is none to draw it. 
Oh, her tresses! they may be a hundred, 

Resembling the fancy bands on riding camels. 

Oh, her breasts! they are like the eggs of the kudrijje, 
At which those whose hair is loosened warm their lovers. 


Young she-camels, especially when fully grown, suffer 
much from thirst. Nis is the name given to a person drawing 
water, jenuseh. Kudrijje is a bird resembling the kata’, sand 
grouse, except that it is slightly smaller and has black 
feathers in its wings. 


Ja-llah 7a hallak lat-tejr rige 
jdhod murddeh brehdrih seméha 
wean alli brumad mustatise 
‘ala ‘asiri daffakat bird maha 
wasten hafa w-rkejben tekel sise 
w-rddjefen subhan rabbena wazdha 
w-elja-kbalat tesda libint al-kbejse 
w-helw zowlah jowm tadni hatéha. 


O Allah, who for the faleon createst his feathers 

So that he can fly to the bright heavens at will! 

Alas, my eyes, struck with blindness, 

Have poured their cool waters over my beloved. 

Slender is her waist, her neck like that of a glass vessel, 

And her hips, Allah be thanked, how shapely! 

When she walks towards thee, she steps like the daughter 

of the kbejse mare, 

_ And sweet she appears, when her step comes near. 


Jad mhejmed w-al-bala’? gani 
1a ‘asirt cejf asawwi beh 
nahazg al-makrin w-arwani 
bézat al-kudri hadar gejbeh 
kdalaha sertdn dehbani 
manwet al-‘atsdn jadli beh 
‘ajtinaha ja mowg rudrani 
sdfigen tabat mesdribeh 
nehdaha fingan diwani 
sdjer al-agemi la wali beh. 


144 RWALA BEDOUINS 


O Mhejmed, what torment has come upon me! 

O sweetheart, what must I do? 

She opened her hooked dress revealing to me 

A kudrv’s egg below the slit at her breast. 

She has plaits on her temples like cords of gold, 

A thirsty one may wish to let down the bucket with them. 

Her eyes are like the waves of a pure pool, 

Where those fare well who drink from it; 

Her breast, a coffee cup like one used in the chamber 
of the lord, 

A Persian jeweler could not make such a one. 


The lover complains both to his comrade, Mhejmed, and 
to his sweetheart, to whom, captivated by her charms, he 
has promised to perform a dangerous deed. 

Towb makrun is the woman’s garb when closed below 
the neck. Ndhag al-makrin means to hift and open this part 
of the woman’s garment on the breast. Ge7b is the slit from 
below the neck down to the stomach. Farther down the garment 
is sewn together in the same way as our shirt. The slit of 
the woman’s garb has only one buckle, immediately under the 
neck. When the garment is lifted, the slit widens, and the 
woman can nurse her child. Radir is a pool of water in a 
valley channel. Diwdn is a drawing-room of the rich, where 
coffee is presented in cups often artistically made and ex- 
pensive. 


Ja temdnen ‘ala sdhebi low jabi‘ 
mitl hal-barad bile7ali-r-rabi«. 


Oh, if the eight teeth could be sold to the lover! 
They are like the dew crystals of the frosty spring nights. 


Barad signifies crystals of frozen dew. 


Ja razal ad-dahal 

ja hazib al-ejdejn 
jalam allah 

juazz “an al-wdlidejn. 


O thou gazelle from the Nefid! 

O thou with the dyed hands! 

Allah knows that a glance from thee 

Will comfort me in the loss of my parents. 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 145 


Dahal stands for the Nefiid, the numerous funnel-shaped 
hollows of which resemble dahal, or dolines, and are favorite 
resorts of the gazelles. The maiden has dyed her finger nails 
and palms yellow with henna. 


Ja razdlen jegurr at-towb 
w-ad-dwajeb rassenneh 
rizeh ja ‘asal jadowb 
w-hani min riwi minneh. 


Oh, that gazelle! she trails her dress after her, 
While her tresses strike against her. 

Her spittle is like melted honey itself; 

Blessed is he who may drink of it. 


Jad Sowk ‘atni hebbetak malkiis 
rasnen twassa‘ leh harir 

ja-bu tamdnen mitl darr al-big 
w-al-hadd beh rih ad-darir. 


Darling, give me a kiss, one as light 

As when silk clings to the twig that catches it. 

Thou hast eight teeth as white as the camel’s fresh milk, 
And thy cheeks give forth a fragrance like dartr. 


Malkus signifies a thing which, although but slightly 
connected with another, cannot be easily parted from it. 


Az-zejn low hw wara-l-babi 
lazem en ‘ajtini jerd°enneh 
‘aslugten hasw at-tijdbi 
w-an-nhud lat-towb sdlenneh 
7a mad hala naz* at-tijdbi 
w-erkdj senni ‘ala senneh. 


On a beauty, even if she stands behind the door, 
My eyes must dwell. 

Slender she is and yet fills her dress, 

And her breasts lift up her garment. 

Oh how sweet she is while undressing 

And while my teeth are pressed against hers! 


‘Asluge is a woman neither thin nor too fleshy, but of 
slender waist, tall and yet with broad hips which stand out 
under her dress, hasw at-tijdbi. 


146 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Harran 7d labes al-mezwi 

la 74 batad man nazel gubba 
halaft ma kiltaha hazwi 
jistwhel al-hozen w-al-hubba. 


Harran, dressed in a light black mantle, 

Oh, that he who has dwelt in Gubba may live long! 
I vowed earnestly 

That he deserved both my bosom and kiss. 


The loving maiden promises to reward Harran, who has 
returned from a lucky raid to the vicinity of Gubba, a settle- 
ment in the Neftd. 


Ahil dirat mselli 
w-en hal diinaha ‘asdma 
ja zamer al-batn ja-lli 
ma tdik tadmen w-lad ma’ 
7a ‘e7al Selwa halen li 
elja gad nahar az-zahama 
baruidahom mustagilli 
jaksom metin al-‘azama 
ja nigmet as-subh 7a-lli 
hdzaw ‘aleyé an-nisama. 
I wish to see the land of Mselli, 
Even if scorched deserts divide it from me. 
O thou with a sunk-in belly, who 
Tastest neither food nor water! 
O sons of ‘Elwa, of my kin! 
And if the day of horror comes, 
Their gunpowder will be famed far and wide, 
For it breaks the bones of the spines. 
O morning star! O thou 
About whom the flower of the youth gathers! 


The lover was dispatched by his chief to look for pasture 
in the direction of brilliant lightning. On clear nights lightning 
can be observed even on the distant horizon. The old men 
among the Bedouins then judge whether it lightens from 
rain clouds or not and in what territory. ‘‘Where do you 
place this lightning? wén thil hal-barg.” “I place it, I judge 
that it lightens, ahileh (or ahajjeleh), there or there.” If they 
wish to be perfectly sure, the chief sends out men mounted 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 147 


on camels to examine the region in question. This is done 
especially in years of little rain, when both the Bedouins and 
their herds are threatened with want. The lover approaches 
the territory of Mselli of the ‘Elwa kin, to whom he is related. 
Mselli means, according to ‘Awde al-Kwéébi, a sweetheart; 
according to Hmar, a region in Neéd. ‘Asdma is a sunburnt 
desert without pasture or water. The lover, desiring to be 
near the girl of his heart, must cross this desert. Nigmet 
as-subh, the morning star, signifies in this verse the beloved 
girl, excelling all others in beauty. In the moment of greatest 
danger she throws herself against the enemy. Then the flower 
of the youth gathers around her and, encouraged by her, 
beats back the enemy. 


Al-wagd wagdi ‘ala hurma 

low hi ‘aguzen w-magniina 
w-al-fahad minha éennaha-s-selfa 
w-tetajjer al-kalb be‘ajinah. 


Alas, for my grief for a woman! 

Even if old and foolish 

And with a thigh as lean as a spear blade, 

Yet she sets the heart in motion with her eyes. 


1. Ja rdéeben malha’ tebiig ashab al-dl 
ejza w-ld ‘alejha radifen mahanha 
2.awwal naharha bass masjen w-dowmal 
w-tali nharha tajjer ar-rabh ‘anha 
3. w-ekta® leha min rajet al-lowz mihgan 
w-estadniha bin-najfa min Saranha 

A. telfi-l-bejt rab‘ateh éannaha-l-gal 
low git bejt as-swejhbi fekk ‘anha 
5. fkuk rizak tal‘at as-sams fingal 
w-hajel teman igam jenda? sahanha 
6. Ge7f riglak jad dera’ kill miswal 
elja tar “an serd as-sebadja jakkanha 
7. 7a lejt Sarrak jinéesem bén al-endal 
qa rabb rigl swéhbi ‘ef ‘anha. 


1. O thou who ridest a black she-camel which examines 
the gray quivering air 
On the march and is worn out by no second rider, 
2. In the first hours of the day keep her at an easy pace, 
But at its end let pebbles and sand fly from her. 


148 RWALA BEDOUINS 


3. Cut for her a mihgdn stick from the best almond tree 
And tickle her with the longer prong under the tail. 
4. A tent thou wilt reach, whose men’s compartment 
resembles an escarpment, 
And before the tent of my beloved put off the saddle. 
5. A cup of coffee thou wilt get to loosen thy spittle, 
And for eight days the platter will be moist with fat. 
6. How does thy leg fare, O shield of all animals that 
raise their tails? 
When from the group of raiders he emerged all were 
afraid. 
7. Would that the evil thou hast met had been destined 
for cowards! 
O Lord! take pity on my darling’s leg. 


A girl of the Durman clan had a lover whose leg was 
shattered by a bullet during a raid. They brought him to 
the tent of Eben Haddal, the head chief of the “‘Amarat, 
where he was attended to. His sweetheart composed and sent 
him this poem. The reciter was Trad eben Sattam. 

Verse 1. Bug lena hal-bildd means ‘‘examine, scout this 
country for us.” Al is the quivering of the air on a hot day. 
The nearer the ground, the stronger the vibration. Grasses 
and bushes seem to be in motion and assume large dimensions. 
It is impossible to distinguish a rider from a bush at a dis- 
tance of two kilometers. 2. A good female riding camel is 
at her best speed before and after sunset. The rider should 
not hold her back. Rabh are the small stones scattered by 
the hoofs of a galloping camel. 3. To make the she-camel 
go at the utmost speed the rider thrusts the two-pronged 
head of his stick under its tail, 77stadniha. Some riders even 
dig the prong in deeper than necessary, making the poor 
beast run madly. 4. The tent is pitched for male visitors 
only, whether strangers or natives. Gal is a long steep scarp 
by which a high plateau falls off to lower level country. 
5. Fakk ar-riz is the breakfast; the real meal is the supper. 
With Eben Haddal a guest may stay not three but even eight 
days if he wishes, and during all this time he gets meat from 
fat, sterile she-camels. The sahn — a large flat pan — is al- 
ways moist with the fat. 6. Miswal is a fast mare or she- 
camel which raises her tail high when galloping. 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 149 


Ma-rid ana ndzel at-taffa 
w-la-lli saken ‘aklat al-wddi 
la’ ma hala mkdbel as-saffa 
w-al-rasmeri karm al-awlddi. 


I desire not him who camps on the plateau, 

Nor him who lives at the well down the valley. 

How sweet is he whose tent is pitched on the opposite side, 
For he is the subduer, the flower of all youth. 


It is the maiden’s wish that her lover may pitch his tent 
on the other side of the valley. Taffa is a plateau intersected 
by a deep valley. In a territory where no hostile attack is 
feared the clansmen pitch their tents where it suits them. 
Many choose the plateau itself, where their camels can graze 
freely; others prefer to be near water and therefore pitch 
their tents near the ‘akla well; others again — and these are 
the most numerous — select some wider and more level part 
of the channel bank, protected against the wind and sand 
and where they are also safe from the herds crowding down 
to the water. The tents are generally pitched in two rows 
separated by the channel. The sides of these tents as a rule 
are closed towards the wind, so that it is impossible to look 
from one into the other. But the women like to lift the can- 
vas in the back of the tent and to peep through the chink 
at what is going on in the tents on the opposite side. To 
the last song they add: 


Alli delileh leha haffa 

min fowkeha-l-hurg w-sdadi 
ja ma hala lam‘at ad-daf fa? 
can al-razi jammana bddi. 


Whose she-riding-camel is swift as a tempest 
With a bag and a saddle on her back. 

Oh, how sweet is the glitter of his mantle, 

When the desired one rides hither in the evening! 


Haffa means a gallop as fast as a gale or tempest, an 
unsurpassed speed, during which the wind resounds in the 
ears. Hurg is a double bag that can be thrown across the 
camel saddle and also a smaller bag of the same kind to be 
put on the horse saddle. A daffa is a heavy winter cloak. Men 


150 RWALA BEDOUINS 


fond of dress buy mantles embellished between the shoulder 
blades with a broad ornament of glittering silver, or at least 
copper, threads. The hem made from these threads reaches 
as far down as the abdomen. Such an ornament glistens when 
the night is bright. Bddi (for sdjer) is one paying an evening 
call; bddi ‘alejna (or musajjer ‘alejna), he is coming to spend 
the evening with us. 


Ja-bu halahel w-zmejjem 
w-al-hadd barrdken jeluih 
ja ma hala’? kazgb al-brajjem 
w-al“omr sajjureh jeruih. 


Oh, she with rings above her ankles and a little ring 
in her nostril, 

Whose cheeks glisten like lightning, 

Oh, how sweet to take hold of a little body belt of 

For, as for life, its end is sure. [leather ; 


Brajjem (dimin. of barim) is a thin belt of leather strips 
worn by the women on their bare bodies. 


Rai-l-ka‘tid al-mesaddar 
ma wadi-s-sidr jinha’ 
kum hebbini la te‘addar 
w-al-adr ma-ni bterijjah. 


The rider on an unruly camel 

Has turned into a valley overgrown with sidr. 
Rise, kiss me, and excuse not thyself, 

For an excuse I will not brook. 


A lover during the march asks a kiss from his beloved, 
whose husband has just ridden out of sight, for his camel 
nibbles at every patch of good grass or woody plant. He 
turns into a valley overgrown with sidr trees and full of 
thorns. If he had to watch his unruly camel before, he must 
now among the sidr be even more careful and is thus prevented 
from watching his wife riding in the rear. 


1. Jé bark j4-lli tali al-lejl lawwa* 
Suftak w-ana bhegat an-nds war 

2. min ris ‘dlen Summahen cedd bihen fa‘ 
biljal rurren bizg=‘agelen Ssea% 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 151 


. kum sidd w-ercab fi kara’ kull matwé' 

w-eb'ad zoreh ‘an malawi-drai 

4. hawwa bawwda‘ lid-daww madda 
horren trawweh ma‘ rekariz kai 

5). W-elja Sibatteh bar-rasan had w-elta 
cenn as-Seda’ ‘ala gendbéh fai 

6. ar-rds rds alli semek ba‘ad al-hzd 
bisemekteh sdf al-legage w-za% 

7. 7a Sibeh héZen hdderen ba‘z ar-rija 
w-melh as-Sefa>‘ala genahih td? 

8. neheg selem kwdjmeh jitrok al-ba: 
ginhan zdden al-haris ehtird% 

9. Cazt’ za" mzawwaten jowm jinza‘ 
horren sa‘a bitard min kabl 7a% 

10. kult Gh min ‘elmen lefa?-l-kalb w-elta’ 
saka’ Serté ar-rih samm al-efa%i 

11. min al-jowm awma’? li nébtén bel-asba: 

mitl al-bedr jowm entahaz bertifa%. 


ws) 


. O lightning flashing at the close of night! 
Awake while others slept, I saw thee 
. Appearing from summits high, hard of ascent, 
On clear white nights in which the rays of light 
quickly spread. 
. Rise, saddle and mount the obedient (camel), 
And see that the shin of the foreleg rubs not against 
the breastbone, 
. 90 that she may take life and, with a stride a fathom 
long, hurry over the plain, 
The pure-blooded beast, hastening to her night’s lodging 
over a plain strewn with coarse sand. 
. And if thou pullest the rein, she roars and prances 
As if a spook were crawling along both her flanks 
. Towards the head; then she lifts her bowed head 
And, seeing what haunts her, takes to flight. 
. Oh, how like she is to the male ostrich descending 
through some defile, 
At whose wings men have fired from the upland. 
. To save himself he flees. His legs measure fathoms, 
And both wings increase the fright of the mad bird. 
. He runs like one driven or driving, when he hurries 
under the impetus of flight; 


152 RWALA BEDOUINS 


The pure-blooded bird knows how to trot both in de- 
fense and attack before he is able to use his reason. 

10. I said, ‘Ah! What a word has reached my heart, which 
has rebelled, 
For my soul’s mate has given me to drink snake poison.’ 

11. But since the day when she beckoned twice to me with 
her fingers 

The full moon [of my bliss] has reached its zenith. 


The poet was an unknown Sarari; the narrator, Mas‘td 
as-Sbejhi, who accompanied me on my journey toward the 
oasis of Tejma’. The poet wakes up towards the end of the 
night between the twelfth and the eighteenth days of the 
lunar month; noticing lightning above the high hills shutting 
in the horizon, he asks his comrade to saddle the she-camels, 
and both then ride as fast as possible over the plain. The 
fast gait of his animal he compares to the mad gallop of a 
terrified ostrich and thinks of his sweetheart, who caused him 
much grief at first but later much gladness. 

Verse 3. Zor is the spot in the middle of the lower part 
of the breast, on which the kneeling camel leans against the 
ground. When kneeling, the shins of the forelegs touch the 
zor. To “remove the zor from the shins of the forelegs” means 
to induce the camel to rise and start. 4. Rekariz ka% are plains 
covered with coarse sand, where mirages may often be observed, 
mostly at noon. Rakrika is a plain covered with weather-worn 
débris; hamdd, a plain covered with hard gravel and much 
flint. 5. Seda’? means any kind of a spook; it is frequently seen 
by the animal alone and is supposed to be especially fond 
of the taste of brains. 9. Tard are the movements of attack 
and defense of a horse in a fight. It takes some time to train 
a horse to the tard, while a pure-blooded male ostrich knows 
it long before he can use his reason, kabl 7a%. 10. Serté ar- 
rth is a sweetheart. 11. The poet’s soul was comforted when 
his beloved gave him the longed-for sign. 


In Praise of a Sweethearts Kinsmen 


Hala hala ja ‘arab farhan 

ja marhaba bddbel ar-rizi 
w-ahl az-zéne ma hom serdan 
hamajeten lil-mesdwizi 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 153 


w-elja tlakaw ma‘ al-‘adwdan 
hallaw ‘alejhom tehérizi. 


Welcome, welcome, O Farhan’s Arabs! 

Hail to her, who dries up the spittle! 

For the kinsmen of my beauty take not to flight; 
They are the protectors of those who drive the booty, 
And, when encountering the enemy, 

Discharge weapons spitting fire. 


The lover welcomes and praises the relatives of his sweet- 
heart. Hala for ahla, ahlan, jd-hla, 74 hala. Ddabel ar-riz is 
a charming beauty, with whom one immediately falls in love 
So passionately that the saliva of the mouth dries (bees Geel ake 
one were in a fever. The mesdwiz are warriors driving the 
captured herds. As they have to prevent the animals from 
escaping, they are unable to defend themselves properly and 
could easily be killed by the pursuing enemy. 


1.. Ja raceb alli ber-redef tekel mari 
azwdl rebden mugaffalen ma‘ az-zerdsi 
2. w-la hamadm mrawwehen leh al-bergi 
‘okb al-mezil mrawwehen binzeazi 
5. jd resel ja-lli lal-ma‘dzib terzi 
lazem tsuf an-ndr mitl as-serdagi 
4, jaditk bejt beh megales w-hergi 
rath ma hasat jammeh hardgi 
dD. semi marstf al-hadam ja-bu margi 
salab ‘adili min zamiri w-mé (i 
6. salab ‘adili salab kdbiin sergi 
w-ajni tekubb rurtib mojjen hamagi 
7. ‘alejh min rali-l-metadmin dergi 
zafen ‘ala sdken tekel ‘azm ‘agi 
8. alli banat bel-kalb kasran w-bergi 
banat besam‘en lown kasr al-hafagi 
9. ‘adrub ahuha surbeteh tekel ‘argi 
jatni-lja tarat ‘ajtin al-hardgi 
10. 9a lajmen maktu& ma ‘dd jargi 
jowm al-hara’? ma ‘ad ‘endeh jidagi. 
1. O thou who ridest a she-camel whose back has almost 
to be climbed by a ladder, 
[Whose speed is] like clouds of dust in the blue air 
raised by startled ostriches, 


154 RWALA BEDOUINS 


2. Or like pigeons longing to roost in the castle, 
Who hasten thither after the noon heat has passed. 
3. O messenger! O thou who speedest to the hosts, 
Thou canst not help seeing a fire like a big lamp. 
4, It is a tent that calls thee, where sit and talk the visitors, 
And to whose owner no one comes to collect a tax. 
5. The name [of my beloved is] ‘Woven from metal rings,’ 
O father of the ‘Son for whom thou yearnst’; 
She it is who has stolen the fat of my heart and entrails, 
6. She has stolen my fat and the soft cover from my saddle, 
Making my eyes shed full basins of salt water. 
7. She is dressed in clothes of costly stuff, 
Which cling to her ivory calf. 
8. She, who has built a manor and a castle in my heart, 
Built with mortar like al-Hafagi’s castle. 
9. Shame on her brother? As if his troop were lame! 
Why, he still resists when the eyes of the babblers 
look around in flight. 
10. Oh, may he who reviles him be parted from all that he 
| longs for and 
On festive days may no one accept gifts from him. 


The poet was Muhammad eben Mhelhel. 

Verse 1. Zowl is the indistinct outline of a man’s figure 
observed from afar. Azwédl rebden are the clouds of whirling 
dust enveloping fleeing ostriches. 2. Pigeons prefer to nest in 
old ruins, especially if they lie far from settled countries. 
After sunrise they fly to the cultivated regions for their food 
and drink; after noon, when the heat is most oppressive, they 
hide somewhere in the shade, later feed and drink again, then 
return about two hours before sunset at the utmost speed 
to their ruins, often more than thirty kilometers distant. The 
fast gait of a she-camel reminds the poet of a fast disappear- 
ing dust cloud whirled up by ostriches, or of flocks of pigeons 
hurrying to roost, murawweh. 3. A brightly blazing fire in 
an open tent indicates a generous host. A miser will build 
his tent in valleys and gullies, so that it may not occur to any 
one to appeal to his hospitality. 5. The girl sung of by the 
poet is called Der‘, which means a short shirt of metal rings. 
Instead of naming her plainly he uses a periphrasis for her 
name, which is dear to him, semi, the words marstf al-hadam, 
meaning a coat of mail. Abu margi is the father of several 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 155 


girls, who wishes for a son. Here a friend of the poet is meant. 
Ma gi, for mad gww or ma gwi, means “what is in my heart.” 
6. “Adil is fat or flesh; ‘adla? is a fleshy, fat she-camel. 
‘Arabna mu‘addelin abd‘erhom ‘djifet as-Sahm means “our 
Arabs are satisfied because their camels are covered with fat.” 
‘Adel has the same meaning as simen, fat; hence ‘adla’ is 
‘synonymous with semine. Smdn abd‘erhom means “their 
camels are fat.” Kdbtn sergi is a very soft cover for a horse 
saddle. Love has deprived him of both his fat and soft flesh 
to such an extent that his saddle galls him as if the thick, 
soft cover were not there. 7. Derge (pl., derag) is a piece of 
cloth cut for one person. 8. Kasr*al-Hafagi is the name given 
by the Rwala to Kasr eben Ahejzer or 4] Ahejzer, southwest 
of Kerbela. The better the mortar, the stronger the build- 
ing. The Rwala admire the firmness with which the mortar 
has cemented the stones and bricks used in building the al- 
Hafagi castle, making it impossible to demolish it. 9. The 
brother of the girl Der* was often publicly insulted with the 
taunt ““Adrub, shame,” but the poet defends him. The troop 
led by him does not limp but merely rides slowly in order 
to protect its comrades fleeing in fear. 10. Jowm al-hara’ is 
the day set apart by the Rwala for visiting, entertaining, and 
bringing small gifts to each other. 


Meetings, Greetings, Good Wishes 


Fatert rawwehi ‘an hamw kejzaha 
‘aszeti ralize md-hmal rejzaha. 


Hurry, my old she-camel, for a night’s lodging from the 
heat of the mid-summer, 
My beloved is dear to me, I could not bear her anger. 


The warrior returning from a raid in the kejzz season, 
mid-summer, longs for his sweetheart and urges his tired 
animal to greater speed. 


Zel’ gubba zemah_ The rugged hill at Gubba begins to appear 
mitl rads at-tahat Like the border of a dark cloud! 
marhaba 74 nwa’ Hail, O Nwa’, 

ja ‘antd al-banat. O thou wilful maiden! 


The settlement of Gubba lies in the Nefiid, lat. 28° 2’ N., 
long. 40°40’ E. Close by rises a tall, dark, rugged hill, visible 


156 RWALA BEDOUINS 


from both the north and south for a great distance. In this 
neighborhood the sweetheart Nwa’ was camping. 


Marhaban ja-lli tileh w-tuh suwa’ 
74-lli habbet fwéha burtd az-zuma’. 


Hail to her, who is as tall as I! . 
The kiss of whose mouth refreshes like cool water in thirst. 


Zuma’, thirst, is a word commonly used by the Bedouins. 
Thirst tortures travelers. Dispersed raiders often perish of 
thirst; the lack of water makes both the women and children 
in camp lament. Often a woman with parched lips goes from 
tent to tent begging with dumb gestures a drink of water for 
her child. If a mere mouthful of even tepid water refreshes one 
when thirsty, how much greater the relief from a drink of cool 
water. A person tormented by love resembles a thirsty man. 


As-salam ‘aleyzkom Salutation to you! 


w-kulu hala’ And answer: Welcome! 
qa ferizen ‘alejkom You in the little camp through which 
tariz al-rala’. Leads the road to my sweetheart. 


The lover going to call on his sweetheart greets the small 
camp through which he is passing. FertZ is a group of no 
more than ten tents. 


Elja git mazbur an-nahad 
ja mejdi sallem li ‘alejh 
abu tamanen mgellijat} 
w-al-kalb malktcen ‘alejh. 


Shouldst thou come to her with the full, firm bosom, 
O M‘ejdi! give her my greetings. 

She who has eight burnished teeth 

And to whom my heart clings. 


Ja-hal al-ajrdt siraw 7a safati 

‘an senahen lad tuigtn al-matijje 

elja lifejtom swejhebi sallaw wasati 
‘allemaw be‘ulim ra%-l-aricijje 

‘end abtiha delletén mutabati 

rif hall hegnen mezadhebhen halijje 
wa? hani min kdzgebah gejb al-‘abdati 
w-entawa’ bhozgejn mambuz as-satijje. 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 157 


O riders on hardened camels! ride, my friends, 

And in your course delay not the long-paced ones. 

When you reach my darling, give her my message, 

Bear tidings to her who is on well informed. 

At her father’s, two coffeepots are in continual use; 

With him is the usual pasture of riders on white camels, 
whose bags are empty. 

Ah, blessed be he, who grasps the cloak on her breast 

And he who may rest in the bosom of the maid of full hips. 


Sen° is the fast gait of the she-camels at night time. 
They do not graze, do not suffer from heat, and speed along 
at a measured pace. Rd‘i-l-aridijje is supposed to mean one 
who is well posted in all affairs and who therefore can tell 
truth from exaggeration. Delletén mut‘abdti, two fatigued 
pots: in the one pot coffee is steadily boiling and from the 
other just as steadily poured out. 


Ja ‘amm ganna talat eréab 

kum sdajel al-‘elem ‘an henna 
gown w-ana-zahzer al-hejran 
bel-howri w-al-kafr jer‘enna. 


Uncle, see! three female riding camels come to US; 

Rise, seek news of them! 

They have come to me, and I drive away the young camels 

From the depression, so that [their camels] may find 
their pasture untouched. 


The maiden rightly guesses that the matchmakers sent 
by her lover have arrived and asks her uncle to find out their 
errand, while she takes their camels to the fresh pasture, kafr, 
as yet untouched by any herd. Azahzer al-hejrdn means: “I run 
here and there behind young camels, driving them away.” Howr 
is a depression without an outlet, containing abundance of grass. 


Hala hala blabes al-mezwi 
la 7a baad kill singéra 
allah jagibak ma‘ al-razwi 
allah jefukkak ma‘ al-réra. 
Welcome, welcome, thou who art dressed in a light 


black mantle! 
Oh, mayst thou live longer than all the Singara! 


158 RWALA BEDOUINS 


May Allah bring thee back from the raid! 
May Allah rescue thee in the attack! 


The maiden wishes her lover, who is taking part in a 
raid against the Singara, all success. Mezwi is a light woollen 
mantle of black color shot with red. La jd ba‘ad means: “mayst 
thou not depart.” The Singara is one of the four main tribes 
of the Sammar. | 


Jad habibi ja-l-hebbe 
w-helw tari an-nakajef 
fowk asalen mutlahebbe 
jegfel min zell as-sefdjef. 


O darling! Oh, that kiss! 

Sweet is the news of their return from the raid. 
He is mounted on a broad-breasted dappled camel, 
Which shies at the shadow of the gay ribbons. 


Nakdjef are returning raiders. Mutiahebb is a camel broad 
of breast and bony. Sefdajef are long multicolored ribbons, 
hanging from the back of the saddle. 


Elfen hala bes-sakra 
w-elfén hala: bratha 
en Can ‘atSdne Sakra 
bedmu' ‘ajn asziha. 


Welcome a thousand times, O sorrel mare! 
And two thousand times, thou who ridest her! 
Should the sorrel be thirsty, 

I will water her with the tears of my eyes. 


Ja-hal al-‘akla O you who tarry by the well, 
qa-lli zelt‘en madah Which is so far a journey, 

la teezlin nafsen Drive no one away 

gazat ‘an hawdah. Before he has satisfied his desire. 


‘Akla is a well in a valley or dry river bed, which must 
be cleaned after every heavy rain. Zeli‘en maddah (or ba‘iden 
madah) refers to a long road or journey leading to the well, 
Kala‘na madah (or ab‘adnaéh) would mean: “We moved it 
farther, extended the distance between it and ourselves.” 
A man comes from afar for water to an ‘akla, and it is a 
sign of cruelty to drive away such a person, nafs. Hawa 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 159 


means lust and passion of love. If the separated lovers meet 
at last, no one should hinder them. 


Lovers’ Parting; Sorrows of Separation; 
Pain of Love 


Ja swejhebi ‘ajn rimijja 

la 7a razi la tansdni 

low ‘ajjarowk al-‘arab fijja 
w-esber ala-l-ajb min Sani. 


My darling, like a white gazelle’s eye, 

Mayst thou, O desired one, mayst thou not forget me! 
And if the Arabs revile thee for me, 

Suffer the abuse for my sake. 


Hawijeti hdberah harfis 
71a “ajn rimijjet al-wadi 
—gaffalowha raydn al-bus 
qa lejtaha-l-jowm tensddi 
ja radsaha jad sebib ekriig 
w-tenassefeh as-Sakra betrddi. 
My beloved — but HarfiS knows her — 
Has eyes like a white gazelle in al-WAdi, 
Terrified by the shepherds of clamoring herds. 
Oh, that I might catch her today! 
Oh, the hair on her head, as long as curled horsehair, 
Which in the fight streams along the back of the sorrel. 


Al-Wadi is the name given by the Rwala to the depression 
of Sirhan. Bus is the same as tars, herds of camels. Rds is 
the hair on the head. Sebib ekrvg is the hair from the horse’s 
tail curling naturally. Tenassefeh means a mare which, while 
trotting and making short abrupt jumps, lifts her tail so that 
its long hair streams over her back, covering even her flanks. 


Jad haji bel-lejl la tasri 

la tenlegem ja baad %tni 

can enna klejbak ‘alejj gasri 
bez-zow testafi ad-dini 
hannejt ana bani al-kasri 
kill jowm w-ahleh muzimini. 


160 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Dear brother mine, do not set off on a visit in the 
nighttime, 

Do not put on the bridle, O thou paragon of mine! 

If thy heart longs passionately for me, 

Carry away that which I owe thee in daylight. 

I bless him who has built for himself a strong house, 

For his kinsmen dwell in the same place every day. 


Kasr is the name of any house built of stone or mud 
bricks. A desert kasr forms a square courtyard enclosed with 
a high wall, against which abut the dwellings of the several 
families. Thus the whole kin lives together. In the desert the 
members of one kin also usually pitch their tents together, 
but sometimes one or another joins another kin, so that the 
lovers become separated. The maiden fears lest some one 
attack her lover at night and asks him therefore to call on 
her in the day time. 


Hala hala ja dahilallah 
qa-lli ‘elimek teazzine 
wuddi bikom mar halk allah 
catrat ‘elim all farrazini 
ohtak lja réebat az-zalla 
ja ‘ejn nadder sijahini. 
Welcome, welcome, O Dahilallah! 
O thou, to hear of whom so gladdens me! 
I would fain go to you, but Allah’s creatures 
Have spread reports which prevent me. 
Still thy sister, when seated in a shaded litter, 
Looks like a noble falcon. 


Dahilallah, a Sammari, falling in love with a Rwala maiden, 
was frequently a welcome guest with her parents. Unfortunately 
a near relative of the maiden was found killed with his herds, 
and the murderer could not be discovered. The kinsmen sus- 
pected Dahilallah of having killed his rival from jealousy, 
and pressed the girl to refuse the stranger. But she remained 
faithful and sang these verses. Az-zalla is the Zetab litter 
with a covering thrown over its upper horizontal pole, so that 
the woman is shaded. She speaks of herself as sister, thus a 
blood relation of Dahilallah, as a proof that she will not give 
him up. She contemplates the threatening faces of her kins- 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 161 


folk with the look of a noble falcon, whom even the largest 
beast of prey cannot terrify. 


Ja dié aridak ma‘ al-amwéat 
ma tekta‘ al-ljas 7a Séni 
rada beh msammeh al-kdlat 
muti al-“efuin al-badrini. 


O cock! I would thou wert among the dead. 

Why disturbest thou my peace, thou wretch? 

He has given himself to rest, he who never pays heed 
He who gives camels even to loafers. [to gossip, 


The maiden is vexed with the cock for reminding the 
lover visiting her that it is time to return. ‘fin is the name 
given to the fat loafers who take no part in raids. The booty 
captured by her lover is so considerable that he can bestow 
she-camels even on such a fat loafer, especially if he is related 
to his sweetheart. 


Jd negum as-sama 
‘akabenna sarijat 
wa‘adenna-l-kamar 
w-ahlafenna al-mabdat. 


The little stars of the heavens, 

When beginning their night journey after we parted, 

Gave us a tryst for the moment when the moon 
showed itself, 

But did not keep their word all the night through. 


The lovers agreed to meet at the rising of the moon. 
But the sky became clouded, so that both the stars and moon 
did not appear until early morning. 


Ja hajyi ma ga-l-arab tursdn 
hom ma lefdhom ‘an al-rali 
w-kalbi jd-llu rada éettan 
w-hammi ja-lli sarak hali. 


O little brother of mine! haveno travelers come to the Arabs? 

Has no one arrived from my darling? 

For my heart belongs to him for whom it wears away 
like soft rock, 

And my fears are for him who has robbed me of my peace. 


162 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Tdres (pl., trus or tursdn) is a native traveler. Cettan 
means a rock or stone that is falling or crumbling to pieces. 
The maiden’s heart dries up or crumbles with passion. 


Min ‘addar waghi elja rommad 
min ba‘adakom 7a-l-kawacibs 
w-akfejtu w-slejfakom ‘ammad 
w-ani nahart at-tardribr. 


Who will excuse me if my face is covered with ashes 
and dust, 
Because of my parting from you, O you Kwacbe! 
For you have turned back, and a troop of your warriors 
proceeds on a straight course, 
While I go to the settled territory. 


The maiden is sad because the Kwacbe, kinsmen of her 
lover, are going to camp far in the rear, while her relatives 
have started for Syria. If a woman loses a near relative, she 
throws dust and ashes on her head and face. The loving maiden 
would like to do the same but fears to be chidden for it. Sle7f 
(dimin. of salaf) is the armed troop at the head of the migrat- 
ing clans, which does not ride now to the right, now to the 
left in search of good pasture but follows in a straight course, 
‘ammad, because the grazing grounds have already been found 
by men sent out for that purpose and even the camping place 
has been decided upon. The verb rarrabow is employed with 
reference to Bedouins going to the settled territory in whatever 
direction. The maiden was to camp in Syria, the youth in the 
inner desert. 


Jad jumma gani bela? muhlef 
was hileti was ana sdwi 
dam ‘ala wagneti jadref 
w-atneb tanib ashab al-wdwi. 


O little mother of mine! a sorrow has come upon me 
What shall I do now? [without warning. 
A tear flows down my cheek, 

When I dwell in the neighborhood of a wolf howling. 


Tanib is a neighbor whose tent ropes, atndb, touch the 
tent ropes of another. The maiden or woman has either lost 
her lover in a fight or he has proved unfaithful. She must 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 163 


not cry in the tent, so she goes behind the camp and there 
cries and laments to relieve herself. Aghab is a wolf, who also 
wails and laments and is therefore called al-wdwi, the wailer. 
On the border of the desert the jackal is called wdwi, in the 
inner desert there are no jackals. Wdwi is a word imitative 
of the jackal’s cry. 


La wa bi nawwow jinhown 
jamm girat allah jad ‘arab helli 
jidkor ‘asiri nahdr al-kown 
jeruddeha w-ar-radi delli. 


Alas, my sorrow! They are to set out in another di- 
rection. 
Oh, may you camp in the neighborhood of Allah, O Arabs 
of my friend! 
My beloved on the day of the fight will remember 
And turn his mare, while a scamp will flee like 
a coward. 


La wa? bi or la wa’ b'ejni signifies much the same thing 
as j@ hasreti; it is the usual expression when something dear 
is lost. According to our song the lover’s kin have moved 
in company with the kin of his Sweetheart, who fondly hoped 
that they would also camp together. But her lover’s kinsfolk 
have unexpectedly turned aside. Then she comforts herself 
again with the thought that her youth will not forget her 
and will come to her aid if her camp should be attacked. And 
even if the stronger enemy should force him to retreat, the 
thought of his sweetheart would make him turn round and 
begin the fight anew. Jamm girat alléh (or ma‘ girat allah) 
has the same meaning as ma‘ hafez allah, under Allah’s pro- 
tection. 


Zell ar-rabi: w-dahelen bel-kejz 
w-al-rarw ma wakna ‘alejh 
ja-bu nhiden céannehen al-bejz 
w-al-kalb malku ‘alejh. 


The season of plenty is gone and midsummer begins, 
And yet my sweetheart and I have not met. 

Oh, the maid with the egg-shaped breasts, 

To whom my heart so firmly clings. 


164 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Zall ar-rabt w-hawdarow lal-kejz 
w-al-rarw ma wakna ‘alegh 
ja-bu nhiid éannehen al-bejz 
w-al-kalb waglanen ‘alejh. 


Gone is the time of plenty, and they have departed to 
the pastures of the midsummer; 

But the beauty we nowhere saw. 

Oh, for her with breasts like eggs! 

My heart is grieving for her. 


In the time of the sultry heats of midsummer, al-kejz, 
the Bedouins camp in the lowlands, where water is found in 
abundance; therefore they have descended, hawdarow, from 
the plateaus. 


Abri ataratta bel-manam 
w-al-ajn ma hi najgime 

‘eddi sawiben bel-manam 
mai Zawwedti hazajvmeh. 


I desire to cover myself in my bed, 
But my eyes cannot close in sleep; 
I feel like one lying wounded on his couch, 
Whose bandages they have failed to renew. 


‘Eddi or éanni means: “I feel like.” Sawib signifies to 
be wounded seriously, but not fatally. Hazdjem are poultices 
and bandages. If not applied well and renewed, md zZawwediu, 
they cause still greater pain. 


Kilt a‘arzgtini ‘ala-z-zarka 
cann-ar-ramad sajeben ‘ajnr 
habb al-ragi bel-hasa jarka 
muhtar ‘ala-l-cabd édwini 
wa? ejb ‘ajni min al-farka 
éan al-arab bén Sowrini. — 


I said: ‘lay me across a gray horse,’ 

For it seems as if blindness had struck my sight. 
Love for the desired one grows in my entrails, 

And burns me like red-hot iron laid on the stomach. 
Ah, my eyes will become gray from the parting, 

If the Arabs take different courses. 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 165 


The Arabs are unable to agree as to where they should 
remove their camp. The lover fears that his sweetheart’s kin 
may encamp in a different locality from his own people and 
thinks that his eyebrows might become gray and his eyes 
blind, should he not see his beloved. 

Wa’ sejb ‘ajni, “ah, my gray, clouded eye,” and wa’? Sejb 
kalbi, “ah, my gray, clouded heart.” are Sayings used in mis- 
fortune. 


Jad raceb alli demilaha zén 

kamran ejdéha Ssardrijje 

ja manweti-lli haleh mezfin 
w-illa rariben nasa hajjeh. 


O thou who ridest a she-camel with good paces, 

With bright white forelegs, and of the Sardri breed! 

O thou desire of mine, whose kin has moved back! 

Even if far away, yet thou wilt come near to thy 
sweetheart’s kin. 


Demil or derhem is the trotting pace of a camel, when 
both halves of the saddle bag rise at the same time. Kamra 
is an ash gray female riding camel, whose forelegs are of a 
whiter hue than the hind legs. The Sararat breed the best 
riding camels. When the clans wander into the inner desert 
or return, as a rule they all follow the same direction, so 
that the herds may pasture evenly along their routes. In the 
season of plenty, when the pastures grow again in a few 
weeks and the luxuriant perennials promise to yield abun- 
dantly, the regular movement in fixed directions ceases and 
the different clans move forward or backward according to the 
locality best suited to them by reason of the grazing land 
and water. Those going back are called meéZfin. The lover’s 
clan has moved backwards, the maiden’s forwards. Hajj means 
kin, ahl. The lover, even if encamped far away, still approaches, 
nasa, the camp of his sweetheart’s kin, nasa’ hajjeh (or nahar 
ahleh). 


Ja mdahrag huf li ‘ala-§-sa‘ejle 
carreb li al-hegén besdddi 
al-afw md-ksaré lejle 

hassejt sanddiz al-fwddi 

w-asci leé ja hajje 74 dwejle 
w-asuf hajjanec kaffaw réddi. 


166 RWALA BEDOUINS 


O Mdahrag! put the saddle on my gray camel, 

Tighten the saddle on the riding camel. 

Heaven avert the evil omen, but how disastrous art 
thou, night! 

For thou hast pierced my entrails in many places. 

I complain to thee, my little sister Dwejle, 

For your kin have urged their camels elsewhere. 


The lover rode out at night to call on his sweetheart. 
Her kin were moving that very day and intended to pitch 
their tents at a certain place. There the lover went when 
darkness set in, but the camp was not there, his sweetheart’s 
people had moved to another place. 

Mdahrag was a negro or a Bedouin serving as fedawi, free 
servant, with the lover. Sa‘ejle is a light-gray she-camel. The 
word akgar (fem., kara’), disastrous, should not be used, as 
it might provoke the demon to do the speaker harm; there- 
fore al-afw, pardon, is added. Dwejle was the name of his 
beloved, whom he addresses as his little sister. Haj7a@n means 
kin, ahl, with whom the maiden is camping. Rddi (or rad) 
is an object lying elsewhere, either further on or in an un- 
expected direction. 


Ja-l-fedne w-edmi lana khejle 
can direten ma biha gdze 
emsi w-ana mratijjat al-bal 
w-atli-l-aganib min al-“dze 
Saffi rréwen ma‘ al-hajjan 
w-min al-hala jinkol hrazeh. 


O Fedne! bring us the khejle mare; 

I desire to leave the land of ill luck, 

To leave with a mind distressed, 

And of necessity to follow the strangers. 

I wish for my darling to camp with my kinsfolk, : 
Then he would carry away all the sweetness he could hold. 


The lover camps far away, so that the maiden cannot 
meet him. Therefore she wants to escape on a mare of the 
khejle breed to another clan, where the loved youth is prob- 
ably serving as a feddawi. Saffi is equivalent to Sahwati, my 
desire, my longing. 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 167 


Ja lahad kum ‘atni al-mahzam 
nabri nurarreb ‘ala-n-nukra 

ja haji w-kalbi al-wdred 
waredat ‘atsdnen ‘ala mukra. 


O Lahad! rise and hand me my bandoleer, 

For we wish to go to the settlers of an-Nukra. 
There, little brother of mine, my heart is Speeding, 
As speeds the thirsty to a rock well with rain water. 


The lover in the desert longs for his sweetheart, already 
camping in an-Nukra west of the HawrAn. 

A mahzam is a broad leather belt with pockets for car- 
tridges. Nurarreb is an expression used by the Bedouins when 
they wander from the inner desert into a settled country in 
no matter what direction. Mukra, or mokr, is a half natural, 
half artificial cylindrical well dug in a rock to a depth of five 
to ten meters, where rain water accumulates. Its opening is 
usually narrow, so that any large stone can close it. In a rock 
well of this kind the rain water will remain as long as a year 
and a half before evaporating. As there are no large water- 
ing places in the regions where such fountains are dug, the 
thirsty man hastens to them full of nervous fear, since he 
knows that he will die of thirst if the mokr contains no water. 


Jad wanneti wannejtaha 
baksa’-z-zumajer hajera 
lejteni Sendsel towkaha 
w-al‘ab ‘ala zumdjerah. 


This is my lament; I weep for her, 
I who in the depth of my soul am troubled. 
Oh that I might be a chain on her necklace 
So that I could play on her bosom! 


The lover longs for his sweetheart, who camps far away 
from him. 


Jad rdéebinen hafahif 

jad waredinen ‘ala zmejr 

ja mufarrezin al-aldjef 
ana-shad md-ntom ‘ala hejr. 


168 RWALA BEDOUINS 


O ye who ride on slender she-camels! 

Ye that draw water in Dmejr! 

Ye who separate lovers! 

To you I declare that it will fare ill with you. 


Haféhif are slender she-camels, very cautious mountain 
climbers. Dmejr lies east-northeast of Damascus. Ma ent ‘ala 
hejr means “thou dost not feel well, thou art ill.” Allah 
punishes with sickness those who separate lovers. 


Prince an-Nari once became enamored of a married 
woman, whose husband was in the habit of pitching his tent 
in the same camping ground. Once in the kejz (midsummer) 
season an-Niri was camping at the junction of the as-Sahna 
and az-Zerka creeks. He rode through the camp in all direc- 
tions, but the tent sheltering the object of his affections was 
not to be seen. To inquire he did not dare, lest he should 
rouse the suspicions of his relatives and slaves. Finally he 
sat down in his tent, melancholy and speaking to nobody. At 
that moment his comrade Fejsal came in, lamenting that the 
best goat out of the flock, which he had bought from the 
‘Adwan Arabs in order to entertain his more distinguished 
guests, had been lost. The whole evening Fejsal continued to 
wail: “Alas, where is that goat of mine? If I only knew where 
to find it. Wa’ ‘anzi wejn mddri wejn nalkaha.” An-Ntri kept 
silent. After midnight both Fejsal and the other visitors left, 
the guests lay down to sleep, but the Prince still sat quietly 
leaning against a camel’s saddle and looking into the dying 
fire. At last he raised his head, called his slave, whom he 
ordered to make fresh coffee for him and to wake up his 
clerk GwAd, and then, sipping coffee, he composed the follow- 
ing poem: 


1. Jad gwad wa? ‘anzi wa-na-dir callejt 
wa? ‘anzi alli mad tebajjen habarha 
2. éallat mahdrifi wa-dawwer wa-halwejt 
bemakran as-sejlén md-haden dakarha 
3. nattejt ana al-merkdb wa-sufejt 
wa bajjen lijje-lli mittezi min sagarha 
4. fatan ‘alejje rariren wa-wannejt 
wa kalbi ‘alejha bén al-azgla* jarha 
5. en ma thajje min tamadnah trawwejt 
wa ‘ajni-lli md jebattel saharha 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 169 


6. wa-nnejt wa-nna wannet al-haj “ala-l-mejt 
wannet kasim as-stk md-haden gabarha. 


1. O Gwad, while looking for my goat I grew weary: 
Alas, of my goat there is no news. 
2, Ended are my inquiries, and still I search and promise 
reward, 
But no one at the junction of the two creeks has spoken 
Of it. 
3. I ran up to the lookout, glancing all about me, 
So that even [the tents] hidden by the trees I saw. 
4. Then I remembered my darling and groaned; 
Groaned for her till under my ribs my heart writhed 
with pain. 
5. I did not succeed in drinking my fill from her eight teeth, 
Therefore my eyes will not cease to wake. 
6. I lamented and still lament, as one who lives bewails 
one dead, 
Or as he groans whose shin bone is broken and whom 
no one can cure. 


Gwad, however, understood perfectly well what manner 
of goat an-Nuri was after, and the next day he went on an- 
Nuri’s mare to inquire among the tents how many camels 
they had for sale. In one tent he found only women. One of 
them looked at his mare attentively, took her by the rein 
when GwAad dismounted to enter the tent, petted her, stroked 
her mane, tied her to the tent peg, brought her water, and 
could not tear herself away from the animal. To Cwad this 
unusual care paid to a strange mare seemed—to say the 
least — peculiar, and he looked sideways at the young and 
pretty woman; their looks met, the woman’s face reddened, 
and GwAad guessed why she tended Prince an-Nfri’s horse so 

carefully. Returning to the prince’s tent in the evening, he 

found him in the same brooding mood as yesterday. After 
the visitors had left, the guests retired to bed, and when an- 
Nuri again ordered coffee to be prepared for him, Gwad spoke 
to him thus: 


1. ‘Azz ravi al-‘anz jekil éallejt 
bemakran as-sejlén mad haden dakarha 

2. tarani bsirak can terhas w-halwejt 
‘anzak cemin bezamiri habarha 


170 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


3. ‘anzak behdk an-nazel tatri blaha bejt 
diben jendzerha wa diben ‘atarha. 


: Patience! The lover of the goat says ‘I grew weary; 


At the junction of the creeks none spoke of her’. 


. See, I bring thee a joyful message, even shouldst thou 


Get rid of me cheaply, though a reward thou hast prom- 
Of thy goat news is hidden in my bosom. [ised. 


. Thy goat bleats in her tent in the camp yonder, 


A wolf guarding and a wolf ensnaring her meanwhile. 


The prince stretched out his hand, shouting: “Be quiet!” 


1. Lijje fateren jowm akul ebha 
takta’ rahdrih dawijje 

2. min nasl sa‘lan ndgebha 
‘alejha wuseym al-awdgijje 

. tazha-l-mijdreé mandéebha 
aslah wukdden Sardrijje 

4. mabhil ja-l t'adder ebha 
masijet merwahaha bijje 

5. adur knejne w-medhebha 
ma sifet. ‘ajn an-neddwijje 

6. 74 ma hala jowm ald‘ebha 
w-an-nahad 7a bejz kudrijze. 


©o 


. An old she-camel I have, who now, while I sing of her, 


Runs about in the sunshine on the glistening plain. 


_It was from Sa‘lan’s descendants that I received her, 


And her brand is that of the Al ‘Awagi clan. 


. Her shoulder blades are adorned with a cushion, 


And from the Sararat she most certainly hails. 


. A fool only could find fault with her; 


Why, hast thou not seen how she moves under me? 


. 1 am seeking Knejne and a trace of her, 


Hast thou not seen her, thou who hast the eye of a 
she-falcon hunting in a dense fog? 


. Oh, how sweet when I play with her! 


Her breasts are like the eggs of a kudrijje. 


The poet was an unknown Rwejli; the reciter, Mindil al- 


Kat‘. The poet rides out on an old but well-bred she-camel, 
a gift of Eben Sa‘lan, to look for his sweetheart, Knejne. 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 171 


Verse 2. Al ‘Awagi is the name of a clan of the Weld Slej- 
man, who encamp southeast of Tejma. The ‘Awagi captured 
the she-camel from the Sararat and, in turn, were robbed of 
it by the warriors of Eben Sa‘lan. 3. Mirake is a leather 
cushion. The rider crosses his legs on it. Sometimes two mi- 
jareé are used. One, serving rather as an ornament, falls as 
far as the camel’s neck, while the second, the smaller one, 
is the mirake proper. 5. An-neddwijje is the female of a 
hunting falcon, who finds her prey even when the atmosphere 
is filled with damp fog which settles down like dew, neda’. 
6. Kudrijje is a bird about the size of our jay, but more 
Squat in body, of dark brown plumage, and with one half of 
its wing's black. 


1. Ja-bu rasid aséi lak al-kalb malkigs 
ja muntaha’? Sakwéaj w-al-kalb murtall 
2. al“afw lad mirsdl lé telfija tras 
maga sahar Sawwal wa-ksajjeren zall 
3. ja-bu nhiiden cannehen tala: battis 
— béz al-hamém ar-ra‘bi aw hen axéal 
4. al-ejun jecsen hadd al-owgdn ba-r-rmts 
sowdan mardnigen hadabhen lehen zall 
\. haddeh éema?-d-dehddr ma jedni-n-nis 
wa-trafeh Semt al-haddajeb ‘an at-tall 
6. nhudeh haca? bézen ‘ala-t-taces maf kus 
_ wa-kdeleteh ¢ar-ris sowden tahalhal 
7. al-batn leh rabbit la kotn manfis 
la mer‘ezen lejan batneh w-la zell 
8. ja bint min jatni li 74 kamal al-hiig 
w-en dowbahow ‘awé al-marékiz ma dall. 
1. O father of Rasid! with my wounded heart I shall com- 
plain to thee, 
O thou last comfort of my sorrow and of my heart 
filled with passionate desire! 
2. Have mercy! Neither messenger nor travelers have come 
to me 
For the last month of Sawwdl, and now the end of 
al-ksajjer is near. 
3. O maiden with breasts like the fruits of the battis 
Or eggs of the cooing pigeon or some still fairer thing! 
4. Her eyes, whose lids cover her cheeks 
Are black, and the curved lashes cast a shade. 


172 RWALA BEDOUINS 


5. Her cheeks are as smooth as gossamer, which none 
must touch roughly 
And which a light breeze lifts when unburdened with dew. 

6. Her breasts thou wouldst liken to eggs, the halves of 
which lie on a sand drift, 

While on her temples the hair waves like black [ostrich] 


7. Her belly — neither fine cloth nor cotton plumes. 


Nor even the Kashmir wool is as soft as her belly, not 
the smooth wool used for weaving rugs. 

8. O little daughter of him who stands firm when the 
terror is at its height 

And proves no coward when all rush about and bend 
over the necks of their horses. 


The author of this poem was Cen‘an 4l Tajjar, a member 
of a once famous kin, the remains of which now usually camp 
in the neighborhood of Dmejr. Abu Rasid was a friend of 
the love-stricken Cen‘an, whose sweetheart, a chief’s daughter, 
was staying with her father in the inner desert. 

Verse 1. MalkiiS is one wounded or stricken; lakesni has- 
sejf means “this saber wounded (struck) me.” Muntaha sakwaj 
means “my last consolation, or comfort, is the man whom 
I trust the most.” Al-kalb murtall or al-kalb beh roll (or 
hamm) means the heart filled with unsatisfied, passionate 
love. 2. Al-afw or 7d-llah ‘awntak, meaning “May Allah have 
pity on you!” or “May Allah help you!” is a usual cry when one 
hears of a great misfortune. Allah visits man with torments 
for his sins, hence the exclamation “al-afw,” meaning “For- 
giveness!” “Mercy!” or “Pardon!” If Allah forgives the mis- 
deeds, the misfortune is past. Sawwéal is the tenth month. 
Cen‘an, who lived permanently with the settlers, uses this 
word, which is not usual in the desert. Al-ksajjer is the name 
given by the Arabs living in the neighborhood of Damascus 
to the eighth month, Sa‘bdn. The poet’s sweetheart moved 
with her father to the inner desert in the month of Sawwéal, 
and now al-ksajjer was nearing its end; thus ten months were 
almost past and, still, neither messenger nor traveler, tdres, 
had come bringing word of her. 3. Battiéis is a plant with red 
fruits preserved for their pleasant odor. 5. Dehddr is gossamer. 
6. Haéa’ or tekel means “resembles.” A te‘es is a smooth drift 
of rosy sand. The halved shell of an ostrich egg lying on the 
smooth rosy sand reminds the poet of his sweetheart’s charms. 


7. Rabbut is the finest cloth; kotn manfis is cotton lint; 
mer‘ez, the wool of the Kashmir goats. Zell is the fine wool 
with a silky gloss, from which the prayer rugs are woven. 8. Al- 
hus signifies terror or panic breaking out in a small camp 
attacked by a strong troop of the enemy. He who remains 
cool in danger, jatni, checks, encourages, and tries to inspire 
his comrade to continued resistance and does not prove a 
coward, md dall, even when he sees the men fleeing, mardkiz, 
Swarming, ‘awé, all around him and pressing their heads to 
the necks of their mares, dowbahow, so that they may escape 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 


the shots of the enemy. 


of 


2. 


Ja min jedwenni ‘ala-l-afas w-az-zdg 
katben besafh segilaten ma baad zz 
w-j min je‘dwenni ‘ala-l-kaf muhtag 
hejta ma‘ al-arjah jabri-s-swahig 


. kam lejleten mabrak delili ‘ala tag 


w-nowmi ‘ala rorr at-tandje ramalig 


. wa-mkejzaha ‘an wahg al-kejz fertaz 


behsuim selma’ safijaten sardhig 


. w-matim al-hunta ‘ala sdhen as-sdg 


w-masribaha lbejn al-abkdr al-lwahiz 


Ph Ne c 


. w-elja hanaf jinbag ‘an mitl al-flag 


‘an Suddaben mitl al-lwali mefalig 


. erdafaha teesén min ‘okb al-wudig 


AVA 


min fowk sizdnen swat ad-dararig 


. tensef ‘ala-l-matnén dagen wara dag 


w-tensef ‘ala-l-matnén zén ad-demilig 


. laggen halahilaha éema laggat al-hagg 


w-laggen haldhilaha bzén ad-dwaliz 


. w-gatna tehatta cannaha zabi-l-angag 


tehza® laha sid al-‘ajin al-hadaliz 


. hi ‘anz rimen rihaha ‘ambar fag 


kadat al-ruzlan al-Gwdzi-d-dwarig 


. rihdneten bemenka‘ al-ma? elja raz 


malat brazzdt al-rostn al-awdrig 


. hams al-handser behen as-serk ma lig 


w-ajun jaktelen al-hwawi medaig 


. semijjeha mas wagh al-roson jinig 


bab as-Semdl w-ld lezi leh mahdrig 


. jG-Uadh jé farrdg ja wali al-frag 


ja-lli ranigjgen w-al-halajez mahdawig 


174 


10. 


dd. 


12. 


13. 


14, 


1; 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


16. tefreg lalli Genneh bhakken min al-“ag 
mutahajjeren zakat ‘alejje al-menahig. 


. Oh, who will find for me powder of gallnuts and copperas 


With which to write on a paper as yet unused, 


. And who will help me to the verses needed 


That like gentle breezes shall allay the storms [of my 
heart]? 


. Many nights did my camel rest by the hole of a 


snake’s den, 
And even in sleep I thought of her with the white teeth. 


. To escape the heat in summer, at Fertaz she hides 


On the spurs of Selma, where are rifts with clear water. 


. She eats wheat bread baked on a red-hot sheet of iron 


And sips the milk of young white she-camels. 


. When she smiles, she uncovers teeth like white snow, 


As white as cleft pearls. 


. Her hips are two sand drifts sprinkled with light rain 


And rest on two calves like the rollers over which the 
well ropes pass. 


. She lets one lock of hair after another — 


The fine braids of her hair—fall down her back. 


. The rings above her ankles tinkle like a pilgrims’ 


procession, 
And still the rings above her fine thin ankles tinkle. 
To us she came, stepping with care like the gazelle 
leading her flock, 
Upon whom the expressive black eyes [of her flock] 
are turned. 
She is like a white gazelle emitting the fragrance of amber 
And leading gazelles in pairs. 
She is like the sweet-smelling flower growing by the 
pond, while the water is clear, 
Spreading its luxuriant leaves which ever tremble. 
Five little fingers she has, which none but I as yet has 
touched, 
And night-black eyes, which kill the love-stricken. 
Her name is like the branches which incline > 
To the north, and none can expound it. 
O Allah, thou comforter! O Lord of consolation! 
O thou who art rich while thy creatures always are 
in need! 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 175 


16. Thou wilt comfort me whose love is ivory white 
And who am still in torment, as those who appoint my 
road oppress me. 


This poem was composed by Cen‘an 4l Tajjar and was 
recited to me by Prince an-Niri. 

Verse 1. ‘Afas, the gallnut, and zdg, green vitriol (or 
copperas ), powdered, are used to make ink. Sgile is a sheet 
of paper. Ziz means dyed, blackened, covered with writing. 
2. Kaf is a verse or a poem. Swéhig are the torments of the 
soul, excitement, a passionate outburst. 3. The poet used to 
speed to his beloved, who dwelt far from his camp; therefore 
he had to sleep in the desert, often beside his she-camel which 
knelt, mabrak, over a snake hole, tag. Tendje are the four lower 
and four upper incisors. Ramdlig means “perpetually moving 
or dreaming with the eyes half closed.” Fair women are fickle 
in love and changeable, which causes the lover much anxiety. 
4. Mkejz or mekiz are midsummer camping grounds. Caw 
Fertez lies southwest of HAajel. Sardhig (for sahdrig ) are deep 
rifts in a rock, with narrow openings where the rain water 
keeps fresh for a long time. 5. Hunta is another name for 
wheat, kamh. The beloved maiden is evidently the daughter of 
a well-to-do Bedouin, as she can eat wheat-flour bread baked 
in the shape of thin cakes on asdg, iron sheet about forty centi- 
meters in diameter. The milk of young white she-camels is 
said to taste the best. 6. Fldg, or felg, for telg, means snow 
or ice. Suddab are small pieces of dry raga wood, from which 
the bark has been peeled off; they are of a glistening white- 
ness; sddeb (pl., Suddab) is equivalent to bejaz (pl., biz), mean- 
ing “white.” 7. Te‘es is a conical sand drift. Its sides have gentle 
Slopes, are very soft, and when sprinkled by light rain, wu- 
dag, shine with a peculiar pink glitter. The sizdn, calves, are 
round and plump, like the dardrig or rollers used for letting 
down the rope with the dip bucket. This roller rotates in 
holes in two posts which are set in the ground and with the 
roller form a triangle. 8. Tensef, she lets down, is said of a 
woman who undoes her combed or plaited hair, allowing it to 
fall down her back. Dag means, properly, the separate tresses 
of the combed hair; demdlig those already braided. 9. The 
small rings worn above the ankles are usually of glass, but the 
wealthier women have them made of copper or even of silver, 
ornamented with fine chains from which hang tiny bells. These 


176 - RWALA BEDOUINS 


trinkets knock together at each motion of the wearer, the 
chains rattle, the bells jingle, and the sounds thus produced 
remind the poet of an approaching or departing procession of 
pilgrims riding on camels covered with ornaments and bells. 
DwaliZ are slender shins above the ankles, which allow the 
rings to move around freely. 10. A fine firm step finds much 
praise with the Rwala. Every herd of gazelles has its own 
leader, usually an old animal which walks a few steps in 
advance of the others with a firm but prudent step, looks 
both forward and sideways, catches every scent, and is always 
ready to flee, should a suspicious object come into view. Ha- 
daz signifies expressive, lively eyes or persons. 12. Rihane 
is sweet basil or other scented plants thriving especially at 
the edges of water holes in the channels where rain water 
remains for a long while. Before this water reaches the putrid 
stage it is pure and clear, and during that time the rihadne 
grows luxuriantly, its juicy twigs, raggdt al-rostn, rising and 
falling with the slightest breeze. 13. The fingers of the poet’s 
sweetheart are so small and beautiful that he calls them all 
little fingers. 14. The name of the maiden is not easy to 
ascertain. 16. Al-mendhig are men who repair the roads and 
thus enable the laden camels to move along easily. Here the 
maiden’s kin is meant, who refuse to permit the poet, a member 
of another tribe, to marry her. | 


1. Bint eben lifa w-al-msakka halifa 
abéi latifa hal min dinaha-l-lal 

2. lejtah radifa fowk waré al-‘asifa 
aladd w-ahla min mrddafk ja hal 

3. lejtak fedaha w-ashanak bedwaha 
w-abi* belém al-hebajjeb mijjet hal 

A, Sifetah bsarha wa-mtala-l-kalb farha 
min kubr garha ma Zuwit ankol al-hal 

5. Sifetah behise tenkoz al-‘ancerise 
w-ld-rid ise illa rizah elja sal 

6. ldbesat al-mezdwi zdwi ar-rth zawi 
hasa’-l-feddwi ma jigib tib al-af*al 

7. gitah b'aswa mizneten taw naswa 
alli mtarha zer* kalbi minneh tal 

8. gitah telumma rah kalbt gehummah 
w-jalian abti-mmah mad tesammih cattal 


i 


10. 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS LT? 


9. sifetah tekddi wa-wkedat fwddi 
mohra tsadi min emhdr eben haddal 
10. elja barat ¢etli dallat teltefet li 
samsen badat li min wara hdjet al-gal 
11. bint al-ekhejle gallelat kill al-lejle 
w-dafee zahraha ‘an rekiiben lin-naddal 
12. dafi hasadha sahhatén ‘aséha 
masrub mwvha ma jigi rib° fingdn. 


I lament for Latifa, the daughter of Eben Lifa, 
I, the sorrowful Halifa; for, without her, changed for 
me looks the bright plain. 


. Would that she sat with me on the thigh of a stub- 


born she-camel! 
It would be sweeter and pleasanter than to sit, uncle, 
with thee! 


. Oh, couldst thou be sacrificed for her, so that I could 


use thy ashes to paint her eyelids! 
For peace with my sweetheart I would sell a hundred 
uncles, indeed! 


. I have seen her on a plain overgrown with grass, and 


my heart joyfully followed her then. 
The blow [of her loss] has bereft me of strength to 
describe that situation. 


. I have seen her in the thicket unbraiding her plaits 


And had no care for food, except her spittle. 


. She wore a silk coat, covering her charms; 


Shame on this hired servant who does his work not well! 


. I came to her after supper; she was like a newly 


formed cloud 
Whose rain made the seed in my heart sprout. 


. I came to her just when she was combing her hair, 


and my heart warmed to her. 
A curse on her mother’s father, who did not eall her 
Jailer! 


. | saw her with her escort and my heart caught fire, 


For she was like a young mare from the Eben Haddal 
stud. 
When she desires to imprison me, she turns to me 
with gestures 
Like the sun appearing from behind the long wall of 
a mountain. 


178 RWALA BEDOUINS 


11. The daughter with her eyes painted black is every 
night ready to ride, 
And still she defends her back lest a scamp mount it. 
12. Her belly gives warmth, though she sups on but two dates 
And drinks no more than one fourth of a coffee cup. 


By an unknown poet. It was dictated to me by Mindil 
al-Kat‘1. 

Verse 1. Ldl means a level glistening plain. Traveling 
in a plain of this kind is easy and fairly safe, as enemies 
may be observed from afar. The poet’s life before Latifa was 
lost to him resembled a journey over such a plain. 2. Hal, 
the brother of the poet’s mother, rides with him, sitting on 
the camel’s hips behind him, mrddafk, and comforting him. 
4. Sarha is a plain overgrown with new grass, where the weaned 
camels are pastured. 5. ‘Anéerige is a poetical expression for 
very soft plaits of hair. 6. Mezdwi is a silk caftan worn by 
the wealthier women over the dress, at-towb. Its sleeves being 
narrow, the hands are covered to the wrists, which gives the 
poet cause for reproach. 12. Gallelat means “she wrapped her- 
self in the geldl’’, blanket on which the horse or ass’s saddle is 
laid. Sahha is a dry yellow date about the size of a hazelnut. 


1. Nattejt an-al-merkab allah jahuneh 
atar al-feriz muzim rarbi salamja 

2. hadra ‘an al-merkab la teréebuneh 
ja-hl al-klib alli ‘ala-l-hebb zamja 

3. jatri ‘alejkom rajiben terteguneh 
‘onk al-ferid mudajjereh hess ramja 

4. as-sukkar al-masri mefdlez esnineh 
makul lil-hukkam zejn at-ta‘amja 

5. w-ld hw min alli riheh tekrahtineh 
w-lad jifhameh kid ar-regdl al-fahamja 

6. rihat ehzéra bimezadem ekrineh 
7a ‘all ‘ajn tabrozg az-zejn ‘amja 

7. en akbalat ja nds teshar ‘ajtneh 
w-en sanadat ja nas tedbah Setanja. 


1. I ascended the lookout — may Allah grant that it be 
deceitful! 
The tracks show a small camp west of Salamja. 
2. Keep off that lookout, ascend it not, 
O ye with hearts thirsting for kisses! 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 179 


3. Memories of your distant sweethearts will come to 
your mind; for them you will long. 
Her neck is like a gazelle’s alarmed by a shot. 
4. Her teeth glisten like Egyptian sugar, 
Sugar, the food of rulers, of sweet taste. 
5. She is not of those who emit a disgusting odor, 
But an odor appreciated only by men of sense. 
6. The fragrance of hzéra her tresses emit, 
Oh, may the eye be blinded that is incensed at this beauty! 
7. When, O people, she comes nearer, her eyes enchant, 
And when she ascends from the valley, O people, she 
slays with her charms. 


The poet was a member of the as-Sha‘a tribe; the reciter, 
Blejhan eben Mesreb. The poet went out on a plundering ex- 
pedition, muhansel. On his return he was told that his kin 
were camping east of Salamja. On arriving there he saw from 
the tracks that the camp had been removed farther west. He 
therefore ascended a high hill and looked over the western 
horizon, hoping to see a few tents he knew, among them the 
tent of his sweetheart. 

Verse 1. Al-feriz muzim signifies.a few tents, which re- 
main for a considerable length of time in the same place. 
4. The cane sugar, which contains more of the glittering 
crystals than the best European sugar, is made in Egypt. 
5. The Bedouins hate all strong odors, believing that some 
odors give rise to many diseases, or at least irritate old 
wounds; for this reason they stop the nostrils of sick persons. 
It is considered a matter of individual taste which odor is 
harmful and which helpful. 6. He who cannot tell an injurious 
odor from one that is beneficial looks with disfavor on the 
person or the object by which an odor is disseminated. 7. Se- 
tanjaha or Stinaha are the several charms of a beauty, in this 
case the girl’s full hips. 


1. Ja mehsen al-wejlad ‘ankom radii bi 
hal-hzuz alli wasi‘en tenadjah 
2. kazzejt mirsdl w-ld radd nowbi 
w-la gab li ‘elmen Sefijjen w-la ga 
3. 74 rabb la tarzok hatdat al-éedibi 
alli gehumm al-elem min din melfah 
4. m-dkel w-low hattu ‘ala-s-Setel ar-rowbi 
barbur sejfen sdhendten swajd 


180 RWALA BEDOUINS 


5. ‘al-esrija telkat lahalha ‘arubi 
w-homs w-hama laha mebt* w-mesra. 


1. O Mehsen, at your wish the Welde have deprived me 
Of this bliss to which a broad passage leads. 
2.1 sent a messenger, but he did not carry out my bidding, 
Brought no refreshing news, nor returned at all. 
3. O Lord, withhold gain from a heedless liar, 
Who takes messages but delivers them not to those 
for whom they are destined! 
4. I could not eat even if they laid before me, on rice 
boiled in sour milk, 
Pieces of warm roast from this year’s lamb. 
5. At Esrija she used to gather fuel for her kinsfolk, 
And Homs and Hama’ were her market towns. 


The poet hailed from the as-Sba‘a tribe. He loved a 
daughter of Mehsen Rahisarrth, the chief of the “Ebede, who 
refused her to the poet and sent her to his sister, who was 
married to a chief of the Welde encamped on the left bank 
of the Euphrates. The poet camped with his Kmusa division 
of the Sba‘a west of Palmyra, longing in vain'to meet again his 
sweetheart. I took down his poem as it was recited to me by 
my companion, Blejhan eben Mesreb. 

Verse 1. A tenijze (pl., tendja’) is a passage between two 
rows of tents. The clans engaged chiefly in breeding goats and 
sheep arrange their tents in the form of an ellipse. The side 
ropes of the different tents meet, only two wide openings, by 
which the camp is entered, being left on the two narrow sides 
of the ellipse. In contrast to this, the Rwala, who breed only 
camels, usually put up their tents in parallel lines. The space 
from end to end between these tents is also called teni7je. The 
wider such an opening or space, the more room for the guests; 
hence the saying wast tendjadh has the same meaning as bd- 
leh wast or halkeh wast‘, his heart, his nature, his solicitude 
is wide, he is generous. Hztz are expressions of bliss or love, 
hazz. 2. Kazzejt has the same meaning as ba‘att; nowbi (or 
nebai), my commission. ‘Elem is a detailed report, a long 
message. 3. Hatdt or hatwa means many a one, someone, or 
anyone. Melfa’ is the person for whom the message is intended. 
Melfak ‘ala flén means “thou wilt go to this or that one”; 
min hw melfah, “to whom shall I deliver this?” 4. Setel or 
tummen is the rice grown on the lower Euphrates and Tigris. 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 181 


kowb, also known as leben réjeb, is sour goat’s or sheep’s 
milk. 5. Esrija, the ruins of a town north-northwest of Pal- 
myra, is one of the main camping grounds of the ‘Ebede 
division of the Sba‘a. Homs and Hama’ lie west of Esrija. 


1. Ja rdéeb min ‘endana tisa’ majat 
w-tisain w-elfen tizddi 
2. mrabba‘dt kejzahen misterihat 
w-en saneden limrétbe w-at-tanddi 
3. jilfen abu sbejjei ‘adim al-me‘egzat 
jekzi raradna min gamit al-bwidi 
4. bari jidtir swejhebi bel-mhafat 
jidawwer al-bedw hamm jidawwer al-blédi 
d. kil ja bint ana min ‘okbikom Sufet lo‘at 
hali nahat ja bint w-al-hamm zédi 
6. al-halk tebdt al-lejl bel-own méd-bét 
w-al-“ajin “an nowm al-mela ma twédi 
7. ma-lum ana ra al-hawa kitr mé fat 
w-iblis ma ra al-hawa bigithddi 
8. en ma lakejieh hajj telkah Zid mat 
haffet ‘alejh al-kabr w-ermel hwédi. 
1. O thou who ridest from us, leading nine hundred 
And ninety and still another thousand [camels ], 
2. Almost square with fatness, rested during the midsummer; 
When they go up to the wells of Mrétbe and at-Tanadi 
8. They will reach Abu Sbejjel, who knows no fatigue 
And who will do all that we need among the Bedouins. 
4.1 desire him to search for my sweetheart, no matter 
where she may be; 
Let him search among the Bedouins and in the settle- 
ments, then. 
d. Speak thus: “O daughter mine, I have suffered without 
you heart’s torments; 
My content is gone, and the torment grows. 
6. At night all creation sleeps, but verily, I do not, 
For the eye will not catch the sleep of riffraff.” 
7. I reproach not my beloved with what is already past, 
As Iblis is wont to tease every beloved one. 
8. If thou shouldst find her not alive, if thou shouldst 
find her dead already, 
Make lighter her grave and strew with sand the three 
stones on which she used to place her kettle. 


182 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Composed by Fejhan eben 7Aced eben Zrejban, the chief 
of, the DowSan clan of the Mtejr tribe in Negd. The re- 
citers were Mhammad al-Kazib, ‘Abdallah al-Matrad, and 
Hmar abu ‘Awwad. In one of the camps which he rode through 
when returning from a raid Fejhan happened to see a woman 
whose beauty dazzled him. For months he tried to forget her 
but in vain. Then he sent this poem to his friend ‘Abdallah 
eben Sbejjel, who was living in the settlement of Nefi, which 
is tributary to the DowS4n, with a request to find her camp 
and also to inquire whether the woman would marry him. 

Verse 1. Fejhan’s messenger accompanied a large caravan, 
called hadra, which had set out from the inner desert for 
the lower Euphrates to buy food, clothing, and ammunition. 
2. Traveling in the kejz season, midsummer, is most fatiguing 
for the she-camels. Saneden, they went up, signifies that the 
caravan was already on its way back, because the trip towards 
the Euphrates is expressed by the verb hadaren, they went 
down. Mrétbe and at-Tanadi are large watering places near 
the settlement where ‘Abdall4h was then living. 3. “Abdallah 
furnished the DowSan and their chief with everything they 
needed. Every large clan has a purveyor of this kind. 7. Iblis 
is the tempting angel, not Satan. 8. In many tribes it is 
customary to pick up a pebble from the grave of a friend 
and to throw it aside so as to lighten the burden. On the 
grave of a girl or woman they also lay the three stones, 
hwddi, that held the kettle in which the deceased cooked in 
her last days. Another custom is to sacrifice a goat or sheep 
on the grave; some then smear the stones with the blood of 
the sacrificed animal, others strew over them a handful of sand. 


1. Ja fatri hobbi mahdari tomijje 
jowm eglahazzat mitl hadd al-hsani 

2. hobbi tomijje w-al-fejdz al-“adije 
w-tanahheri berzan zejn al-mebant 

3. ana kzejt al-lazem alli ‘alejje 
al-lazem alli mad kzah al-hedani 

4, al-gedi hattejteh bwaré al-matizje 
w-mutnahheren jamm shejl al-jemani 

5. bari nidir at-tiflet al-aswagizje 
rihat nesemha éazebdd al-‘omani 

6. ma li ‘ala-t-tajjeb w-la leh ‘alejze 
allah jelim swejhebi mad tanani 


11. 


12. 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 133 


7. ma gah sabr howlén lawwal zahijje 
w-la Saf tal rurbeti was gerd li 
8. gumma rada’ rakan bel-mehmehijie 
w-lla w-hw jati mitl al-hesdni 
9. w-allah ma-ridah low hi nebizje 
low enn hargak ¢ideb w-haéet al-lisdni 
10. dhed beddlah ‘andalen SowéSelijje 
ma lamsah as-sdbtr bekurb al-‘anéni 
ll. ma hammaha hajjal kabli Sufizze 
w-la sdf malk al-mowt barzen dandni 
12. en hazzejt as-Selfe karejt at-tahijje 
w-en zl jd-hla-l-hejl kalbi lwani 
13. min “dfena ‘afnéh low hi menijje 
low hw genin al-kalb ma beh metdni. 


O thou old she-camel of mine! keep to the border of 
the sandy hills, 
Look to see if the cheek of a horse shows on the horizon, 


. Keep among sandy hills, ridges, in healthful valleys, 


And make for Berzan, the finely built. 


. The duty laid upon me I have fulfilled, 


A duty not to be accomplished by a coward. 


. With the North Star over the hips of my animal 


I went straight for Canopus in the south. 


. L yearned to search for a maiden with her neck raised high, 


Whose breast is scented like ‘Oman civet. 


. The man of honor owes me nothing — nor I him! 


But Allah will rebuke my mistress for not waiting for me. 


. Her patience did not last two years, but only till the 


first feast of zahijzje, 
And therefore she has not seen the end of my stay 
abroad and [learned not] what there happened to me. 


. Rakan either in the desert will perish 


Or like a stallion will surely come back. 


. By Allah, I would not have her if she were a prophetess, 


Even if it be proved that all thou sayst is but lies and jest. 


. A pure-bred young mare I will take instead, 


By spur and bridle as yet untouched. 

No rider like me has ever made her leap, 

One who has not seen the death angel on the plain. 
When the wedge of my spear I swing, it is a greeting, 
And if there is acry of “O horse!” my heart pulls me there. 


184 RWALA BEDOUINS 


13. She who turned from us will see us turn from her, 
even if she be destined for us, 

If she were the only love of our heart, we would not 
return to her. 


The poet was Rakan eben Hatlén, chief of the “Agman, 
who camp along the Persian Gulf coast southeast of al-Hufhuf. 
The reciters were ‘Abdallah al-Matrid, Mhammad al-Kazib, 
and Hmar abu ‘AwwAd. In 1871 the territory al-Hasa, south 
of al-Basra, was occupied by Turkish troops. Its administration 
at the end of 1873 was put in the hands of Bezi* eben “Arej‘er, 
but he soon tried to shake off the Turkish sovereignty and 
to drive out the foreign soldiers. Therefore a new expedition 
was despatched to that territory at the close of 1874. Many 
Bedouins were killed and in 1875 twenty chiefs sent to Turkey 
and imprisoned there. The young chief Rakan eben Hatlén 
was one of the number. He remained in prison twenty-two 
months, being pardoned after the outbreak of the war with 
Russia. The journey home was made first by ship to Iskande- 
rina (Alexandretta) and thence by land to Aleppo. Distrusting 
the Turkish officials, he would not follow the right bank of the 
Euphrates to al-Basra and home from there, but escaped from 
Aleppo to the ‘Aneze of the as-Shba‘a tribe, was furnished by 
them with a female riding camel and a guide, and then hastened 
across the desert southwards to al-Gowf, to the representative 
of Prince Eben Ragid, with whom his young wife, Sakha, and 
the rest of his relatives had found refuge. In al-Gowf he was 
told by Eben RaSid’s men that his wife had been married in 
the meantime to Sultan eben Dawis of the Mtejr. It was said 
that she had at first intended to wait for Rakan, but when 
she heard on all sides that he had perished and when, on the 
azg-zahijje holiday, a she-camel was sacrificed to his memory, 
she yielded to persuasion and wedded anew. Rakan was greatly 
moved by this report. Leaving al-Gowf again, he proceeded 
along the eastern border of the sandy Nefiid desert as far 
as Hajel, the residence of Prince Eben Rasid, where he took 
quarters in the castle of Berzin. During the journey he com- 
posed this poem. 

Verse 1. Hobbi or hommi signifies the following of a certain 
route. Mahdri are the last spurs of a chain of hills; tomajje 
means the knolls, slopes, and valleys in a sandy desert. Hgla- 
hazzat mitl hadd al-hsdni signify the sand drifts along the 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 185 


borders of stony dells which often overtop the latter by fifty 
meters and remind the Bedouin of a horse’s nose or the side of 
his head, according to the direction from which he sees them. 
Their ends sink into the stony plain like a nose and their 
sides are like the horse’s cheeks. 2. Fejdz al-“adijje (for ‘adize) 
are long, narrow dells among sand drifts; there a camel will 
always find good pasture and a traveler plenty of fuel and 
a warm, safe night’s rest. The Neffid is the most healthful 
district in the whole Arabian desert. Berzan is the name of a 
strongly fortified castle owned by Eben RaSid at Hajel. 3. This 
duty, fate, was imposed on him by Allah, 7. e. to be imprisoned 
in a foreign country. 4.From Palmyrena to al-Gowf he proceeded 
in a southerly direction, thus having the North Star over the 
hip of his camel and Canopus in front of him. 5. He knew 
that his young wife found shelter in Eben RaSid’s territory. 
‘Aswagijje means a woman walking erect, with unbent neck. 
6. He is not angry with her new husband. The mere notion 
that his wife could prove unfaithful to him while she was 
continually in his thoughts even when he was in prison killed all 
his desire for her. 10. He wishes to seek consolation in fights, 
11. Hamm is the word used in Negd for the action of a horse 
in an encounter between two riders. The horse rises on its 
hind legs and with the front legs lifted high leaps forward 
like a wild beast. Sufijje was explained to me as meaning the 
same as mitli or ahsan minni, like me or better than I. The 
whole verse means that the mare which Rakan desires to 
ride has not yet been in a fight, as arz dandni signifies sahl 
(or mahdas), battle ground. 12. Tahijje is a Bedouin greeting, 
such as “Jd hala,” or “kawwak’’; among the settlers it means 
the profession of faith: “Ld ilah ill-allih wa muhammad rasil 
allah.” “Jda-hla-l-hejl, O horse!” is the alarm cry of the watch 
on sighting the enemy. 


A fragment of the same poem according to Nawwaf eben 
Sa‘lan: 


1. Ja fateri debbi twéref tomijzje 
w-en esmaharrat mitl hasm al-hsdni 

2. debbi tomijje w-al-bildd al-‘adijje 
liga ma jabdi leé shejl al-jyemani 

o. nabri ndawwer diret al-rasmerijje 
rthat gasadha ¢az-zebdd al-omédni 


186 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


4. al-gedi halejnéh bwaré al-matijje 
w-faraket naharha ‘an shejl al-jemant 

5. ma la ‘ala-l-magmil w-la leh ‘alejje 
alli kza°? hagaten ma tanani. 


_ OQ thou old she-camel of mine! run along the borders of 


sandy hills 
And when on the horizon thou seest, as it were, a stal- 
lion’s nose rising, 


. Run through sandy hillocks and the healthful country 


Till Canopus will rise for thee, appearing in the south. 


. We seek the land of RasSmerijje 


Whose body is fragrant like ‘Oman civet. 


_ We had the North Star over the hip of our camel, 


Who swerved from the line of Canopus in the south. 


. The beauty owes to me nothing, I nothing to her, 


And she who has done what seemed her duty must not 
expect me. 


Verse 38. RasSmerij je for KaSmerijje; the r is often sub- 


stituted for k, as, for instance, in rdder for kader, rar for kar, 


ete. 


4. Naharna means “we followed. that course.” Sahajna, 


we were moving, we headed for, might also have been used. 
Masha, wagh, nahar, jimma, all mean the direction of a course. 
M exahi is an expression used of anything that lies in various 
directions, such as pastures, watering places, camping grounds, 
people, etc. The she-camel, taking a different direction from 
that of Canopus, changed her course more to the south. 


Laments for Lost and Dead Lovers 


Jad wanneti wannet al-wagan 
tamdn sinin ‘ala wasddi 
ad wanneti wannet al-“amjan 
ma leh ma‘ an-nds kawadi 
d wanneti wannet al-‘atsan 
bel-kéz w-‘an mdredeh radi 
‘alejk ja hejla’ as-subjan 
hallanneh al-hegen bel-wadi. 
This is my lament, the lament of one on a sick bed, 


Who for eight years has lain on a pillow! 
Alas, my lament is the lament of one blind, 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 187 


For whom the people can find no guide. 
Alas, my lament is the lament of one thirsty 
In a scorching summer, who in search of water went 
astray. 
Alas, for thee I lament, thou swiftest falcon among 
the youths, 
Whom the she-camels have left in al-WAdi. 


The beloved youth did not return from a raid, having 
“eile in a fight in al-WAadi (Sirhan). Hejla’ is the swiftest 
hunting falcon (quarry hawk). 


Ja zejd jidkar habibi mat 
min ‘okbaha was hajati lah 
dinjak hadi tegi zerrat 

elja gd-l-kadar Zallat al-hila 
w-gedd kalbi ‘ala ma fat 
gedd ar-rsa min mahdahilah 
halina narkab ‘ala-l-ajrdat 
fejhdan sdlen haddlil lah. 


O Zejd! they say that my beloved is dead. 

Without her what is life to me? 

This world of thine hurries from one deceit to another, 
For if fate comes running, all self-help is useless. 
My heart is torn in two by what has happened, 

As the bucket rope breaks on the axle of a hoist. 
Let us mount she-camels accustomed to far journeys, 
For the Fejhan valleys are said to have water enough. 


The lover, crushed by the report of his sweetheart’s 
death, intends to join a dangerous raid. Fejhan is a lowland 
situated at lat. 28° 50’—29° 30' N., long. 48° E. From there in- 
cursions can be made into the territories of the Sammar and 
Zefir tribes. Hadlul (pl., haddlil), a shallow valley ending in 
a lowland or without an outlet. 


1. Az-zowl zowleh w-al-haldja? haldjaéh 
w-al-fe‘el ma hw feel wafi-l-hasdjel 
2. la wa? halili kill mé hall tarjah 
wa? ma debah min ‘ajn éabsen w-hdjel 
3. la wa’ halili tadfok as-semen jimnah 
en edbahat kisr as-sinin al-mahdjel 


188 RWALA BEDOUINS 


A. ld wa? halili kill ma-kul ana-nsah 
1a mar tefattennih min al-hegen hajel 

5. ld wa’ halili tefsek al-hegen low lah 
dowm tetwami rusehom bel-kwajel 

6. la wa’? halili kill gawen Sireb mah 
w-ma kata’ min ‘ajn sarha hamajel 

7. ld wa’? halili jehreg an-nezel bernah 
‘alejh min Surl as-sabaja faajel 

8. ld wa’? halili bén dowlék w-dowlah 
elja mad debahenneh mubremat al-fetajel. 


1. Though like him in figure and in every motion, © 
Yet his bearing is not the bearing of him who in so 
many virtues abounded. 
2. Would that he had not left me! Ah, that man of mine! 
Whoever met him [will testify] 
How many choice wethers and barren she-camels he 
has killed for his guests! 
2. Would that he had not left me! Ah, that man of mine! 
His right hand poured out for the guests melted butter, 
When years of want came upon us. 
4. Would that he had not left me! Ah, that man of mine! 
Whenever I say that I will forget him, 
Then, lo! the barren female riding camel calls him to 
my mind. 
5. Would that he had not left me! Ah, that man of mine! 
Were he here, the female riding camels would not 
have been ruttish, 
For they only nodded their heads even in the greatest 
heat of the day. 
6. Would that he had not left me! Oh, that man of mine! 
There is no watering place from which he has not drunk, 
And how many clans has he not robbed of their best herds! 
7. Would that he had not left me! Oh, that man of mine! 
The camp resounds with songs of him, 
For his deeds are the bravest among the raiders. 
8. Would that he had not left me! Oh, that man of mine! 
Here and there he dwelt, until 
He was killed by rifles fired with a twisted fuse. 


Eben ‘Arig, the famous chief of the Beni Lam, fell in 
a fight. His wife then married his brother. The fallen man 
had a remarkable female riding camel on which he took part 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 189 


in a great number of raids, bringing back much booty from 
them. In his last raid he was shot down from this she-camel. 
The animal saved herself by flight and was inherited by the 
dead chief’s brother, who, however, did not go out on a raid for 
a whole year. Owing to this the she-camel became so fat that 
her humps began to hang over to one side. Want soon made 
itself felt in the tent. The woman was obliged to cook, and 
there was neither wheat nor dera’, millet; she had to sew shirts 
for both herself and her husband, and there was no linen nor 
any camels to exchange for these necessities. Naturally the 
woman pined for her fallen hero, and so it came about one 
evening that, as she was grinding the wheat begged from 
some neighbors, she happened to observe with more attention 
than usual both the fat she-camel and her own dilapidated 
dress; in fear of still greater misery she composed this poem, 
which was recited to me by HmAar abu ‘AwwaAd. 

Verse 1. Zowl is the outside appearance, contour, or shape. 
Halaja’ is the manner of acting, behavior, speech, and move- 
ments. 2. Ld stands in place of ld tab‘ad, meaning “Oh, mayest 
thou not go away! Oh, hadst thou not left me!” 4. and 5. Hegen 
is a poetical expression for reédjeb, meaning riding camels. 
The husband did not remain at home. Between one and three 
o'clock in the afternoon the heat is at its highest. The rider 
who wishes to keep his she-camel in good condition should let 
her rest during that time, kdjile, otherwise the animal de- 
generates and becomes incapable of bearing young. 6. Kata‘- 
hom kat signifies “looted them completely, took everything 
from them, leaving neither camels nor tents.” 8. Mubramdt 
al-fatajel, twisted or woven fuses: this phrase indicates that 
the poem dates from the time when rifles with flint locks 
were still in use in battle. 


1. Ja rdéeben min fowk horren Semali 
ma jilhak al-misdb ‘ali mttineh 

2. horren za‘za° muzarrjen lil-egfali 
jetir low hw bar-rasan jinéatineh 

3. nattejt ana rigmen tawil w-dli 
wa-dmu ‘ajni éal-radar sajjalineh 

4. badejt awassef séhb illi zaha’? li 
w-nised as-sa“dr ma jidakriineh 

d. abu krinen mitl tajj al-hebéali 
w-al-zidle ris al-hiz low ralabiineh 


190 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


6. hwagebah garr al-kalam beh ad-dwali 
w-ujtinaha ‘ujin al-fahad low za“alineh 
7. gebinaha ja nds zowh al-helali 
w-al-hadd barken ld‘egdten mezinah 
8. hasmah dbabij al-hendi jilali 
min al-lilu w-al-mergan wasfat esninah 
9. 74 rizaha terjak sidkar dwa li 
jabri karis ad-débb jowmen saktineh 
10. 74 ‘onk Sowki tekel ‘onk al-razah 
Sat al-rorejri bil-kanas tarradineh 
11. w-sidraha murassa‘’ bel-ma‘dmi w-al-rali 
bildd al-agam w-as-sdm ma tammantineh 
12. wa-nhtiidaha tuffah ja zeym hala 
fingal sini bez-zeraf ka“adtineh 
13. der‘dnaha burkdn fugza julah 
w-asejbacah kleym ad-dahab low bartineh 
14. w-mraffaca md-zenn gabat ‘ejali 
7a Sibeh ‘tid al-mejs low hazza‘tineh 
15. 74 sdmein as-sowt ertu lhali — 
7a muslimin al-majjet ma terhamtneh 
16. hdtu ‘asiri w-e'rezgtineh kbali 
w-low mett ana min fowk sadri haddertineh 
17. min ldmeni ja lejt ma leh kwam 
w-illa kazib al-kofr jistajsartineh. 


. O thou who ridest a pure-bred camel of northern descent, 


The top of whose back a stick will not reach, 


. A pure-bred, shy one, who from youth is often frightened 


And who flies in spite of the check of the rein! 


. I climbed a high, steep pile of stones 


And the tears of my eyes turned [the pile to] a pool. 


. I began to describe my sweetheart, who has blossomed 


out for me, 
And I ask the poets why they do not mention her. 


. She has plaits as thick as twisted ropes 


And a fringe as fine as a male ostrich’s feather. 


. Her eyebrows are as though drawn by a pen filled 


with ink, 
Her eyes, the eyes of a panther in wrath. 


. Her forehead, O people! is like the reflection of the new 


moon, 
And her cheeks are like the lightning igniting rain clouds. 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 191 


8. The bridge of her nose glistens like the blade of an 
Indian sword; 
To pearls and corals her teeth I compare. 
9. Oh, her spittle! Like viper-wine it is used, 
For it heals one bitten by a snake as soon as he drinks 
OfeIT. 
10. Oh, the neck of my darling! like that of a gazelle 
Or the white antelope which men hunt on horseback. 
11. Her breasts are adorned by tattooing with gems pre- 
cious and costly. 
Which neither the wealth of Persia nor of Syria could buy. 
12. Her breasts, they are apples, — alas, for my loss that 
has bereft me of reason! — 
A china cup set on a tray. 
13. Her arms glisten as a silver pot, 
And her little finger is a burnished gold stick. 
14. How slender is she! I think not she has yet born children. 
To a sprig of wild cherry I liken her, as it Sways in 
the air. 
15. O ye who hear this voice, have mercy on me! 
O Moslems! will you not pity one dead? 
16. Bring here my mistress, set her before me 
And on my breast lay her when I die. 
17. Oh, may he who reviles me have no kin, 
Or become a captive seized by unbelievers. 


The poet was Nimr eben ‘AdwAn; the reciter, GwAd al-‘Ani. 
The poet sits on a steep stone pile, laments, and describes 
the beauty of his dead sweetheart, with whom he wishes to 
be buried. Verse 1. Horr Semdli is a camel recognized as pure- 
blooded by the tribes camping in al-Belka’ and the Hawran 
districts, whereas the tribes living farther east and south 
deny this, declaring it is by no means certain that both of 
its parents were thoroughbreds. 3. Rigm is an artificial pile 
of stones. Such piles are usually found on the most prominent 
hills and serve as shelters for the watchers or spies, who, 
lying down at their post, may observe the whole country 
around. Radir is a hollow in a channel where the rain water 
remains even when the stream had dried up. 5. Ralab is a 
feather from the hips of an ostrich, used as an ornament or 
bouquet. 9. Dabb is any poisonous snake of some length; short 
ones are known as efd%. 11. The breasts are often covered 


192 RWALA BEDOUINS 


with tattooed patterns in imitation of various jewels. 12. “Ja 
zejym hdali, Oh, gone is my reason!” is the cry of one surprised 
or dazed by something. Zeraf, saucer or tray, was pronounced 
by Gwad as zeraf. 14. Mraffa‘a is a slender, delicate one. 
‘Ud al-mejs is a sapling or sprig of the cherry tree, which 
grows wild in al-Belka’, where the poet was camping. From 
these very flexible sprigs stems are made for smoking pipes 
known as raljin. 16. E‘reztineh means, properly, “extend or 
stretch out the limbs” to enable the poet to see them better. 
17. Kani is the name given by the ‘Adw4n to the kinsman whose 
duty is to avenge wrongs done to his kin. He who has no kins-_ 
man and thus no avenger is subject to all misfortunes, like a 
captured Moslem carried by the unbelievers to foreign lands. 


1. J& sin 74 umm ‘akab 74 sin ja sin 
7a mitl Sanz ar-rim temsi wahadha 
2. ma lacebat as-summejr bén al-ferizén 
w-ld katt ab-al-amalat rawaz wa‘adha 
3. w-ld garrat al-ratrif bemidneb al-“ejn 
w-la ‘dla-l-giran tum bjadha 
4. halaft ana w-allah dinen batar din 
w-hajat min hw bes-swaber lakadha 
5. en Sdfaten za‘lan lazem terazzin 
mitl as-sefuk alli telahleh waladha 
6. gatni ‘ata ma seket biha metamin 
Simet hamile kill men ga hamadha 
7. ja ‘akdb wa’? hazgzgi defentah benimrin 
bhadd al-wa‘ar jd ‘akab bemustanadha 
8. ‘ejdli radaw ja ‘akadb hamse ma ehwén 
w-la Zil ‘ejni sdhera min rekadha 
9. ma hammani 7é ‘akab rejr alla wén 
alli éema rih al-hzéri gesadha 
10. ma zér kalbi ‘an hawdha w-la al-“én 
w-en zarzarat ‘ejni gazaha ramadha 
11. low gann bandt al-bedw 74 ‘akab saffen 
ja-haj ma-hod rejr wagha wahadha. 


1. Alas for my loss, O ‘Akab’s mother, my loss! 
Alas for her, who like a white gazelle used to walk 
all alone! 
2. She never took part in the amusement of swmmejr 
between the two camps, 
And not once did a gallant dare to ask her to a tryst. 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 193 


5. She never drew the knife with blacking around the edge 
of her eyelids, 
And never raised her hand to threaten the neighbors. 
4. I swear to Allah, oath upon oath I Swear, 
As well as by the life of him who Souaked her, 
®. That as soon as she saw me wrathful she ae to 
appease me 
As a kind mother tries to soothe her boy. 
6. She came to me as a gift, not in exchange for animals 
of value, 
She was the boast of the kin, for all who came praised her. 
7. O ‘Akab! that bliss of mine! thou hast buried her in 
Nimrin 
By the impassable crags, O ‘Akab! opposite the water. 
8. Five of my sons died, O ‘Ak&b! five, and my two 
brothers, 
And none can say that my eyes had a sleepless night. 
9. No one with grief filled me, O ‘Akab! except the one 
who dwells—who knows where? 
And whose body was scented with the fragrance of 
hzera. 
10. Never did my heart prove faithless to my love, nor 
my eyes, 
And whenever she whispered, my eye was as if with 
ophthalmia struck. 
11. No matter if in two long rows come the Bedouins’ 
daughters, O ‘Akab, 
Thou little brother of mine! I would take none but 
Wazha alone. 


The poet was Nimr eben ‘Adwian from al- Belka’; the 
reciter, Mindil al-Kat‘. 

Verse 1. Jd sin (or j@ hejf), Ah me! 3. A ratrif is a 
mil, or small knife for rubbing on the eye black. 4. A married 
woman is often likened to a saddled mare and her husband 
during sexual intercourse to a rider. 6. Among the ‘Adwan 
a fixed number of she-camels, sheep, or mares must be given 
in compensation to the father of the girl whom a man wishes 
to marry. This custom is known as sijdk. 7. Nimrin is the 
name of a small creek in al-Belka, where lies the burying 
ground of the ‘Adwan. 9. Hzéra is a plant which emits a 
strong smell. 


194 RWALA BEDOUINS 


1. Jd wenneti wennet haluig eben rumi 
alli farrekat ‘an madbah waladha idéha 

2. gaha zelil al-mejz jerkozg besumi 
kassam gnibah min Sefateh ‘alezha 

3. wa? tejreti radat w-ana-sih w-awmi 
azda‘* laha-s-Sawlah mad fad biha 

A. amsejt arawéib nabijat ar-rgumi 
radat w-kalbi hazinen ‘alejha 

5. kalbi ‘alejha jd-bn ‘ablan jowmi 
awmat ‘awd al-ke7s jowmi ‘alezha. 


1. This is my lament, the lament for Eben Rumi’s unhappy 
she-camel, 
Who spread out her two front legs over the spot where 
her young was killed. 
2. A brute with a club came a-running 
And broke her ribs, instead of speaking to her kindly. 
8. Ah! my little she-falcon has lost her way, and I shout 
Wave a cloth, but all in vain. [and signal to her, 
4. Yesterday I climbed some great stone heaps on the hills, 
But she has lost her way, and now my heart for her 
| is grieving. 
5. My heart, O son of ‘Ablan! beckons to her; 
As a plant in a stream bends, so it bends to her. 


The poet was Nimr eben ‘Adwan; the reciter, Mindil al- 
Kat‘i. Nimr mourns the loss of his wife. 

1. Haltig is a she-camel whose calf is killed immediately 
after birth and who notices it. Eben Rimi was a Christian 
who used to bring to the tribes camping on the slopes of 
the Hawran sugar, coffee, and clothing material, taking in 
exchange camels, which he sold to the farmers again for 
plowing and threshing. Once he acquired a pregnant she- 
camel which bore a calf on the road. Instead of hauling it 
aside and there killing it before the mother rose to her feet, 
he left it lying where it fell and shattered its head with a 
stone while the mother was still standing and licking it. The 
dead calf he then threw into a gully near by, but the distracted 
old animal remained standing over the spot splashed with the 
blood of her offspring, moaning and refusing to move. The 
infuriated Eben Raimi now began to beat her savagely; he 
broke some of her ribs and would have killed her too, if the 
Rwala warriors had not chased him away. In 1915, on my 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 195 


way from the Sammar territory westwards, one of my she- 
camels gave birth to a calf. At the same moment one of my 
companions pressed her head to the ground, while another 
pulled the calf to a neighboring rock crevice, where he killed 
it. But its bleat, weak as it was, did not escape its mother; 
the moment she rose she began to smell over the ground, 
found the scent, and followed it to the crevice. She was unable 
to enter it or to see her calf, but remained standing before 
the opening, uttering heart-rending moans. When we finally 
drove her away, she went along with the others; but every 
day, at short intervals from sunrise to a late hour at night, 
she gave vent to her grief. After a few days this became 
unbearable and even dangerous, as it might have been heard 
by our enemies, thus exposing us to their attack. In vain 
did we try to calm the animal; at last we tied up her snout 
with a rope, but even then she uttered muffled moaning 
sounds. 3. Sawlah is the piece of cloth waved about by a 
faleoner when he desires to coax the falcon back. 5. Kejs are 
the smaller depressions in river beds, where the perennial 
called ‘uid al-kejs thrives. 


1. Sar al-kalam 74 ‘akab bel-heber sara 
bizejzaf al-kurtds ja muhgeti sar 

2. awi “awa sirhdn lejl w-nahira 
w-ahenn hanin at-tilb tadwi ‘ala-d-dar 

d. 7a “akdb la w-alli mdir an-nahéra 
megri safinat nih birebb al-abhér 

4. en gammau ja ‘akab kill al-adéra 
min sahr negd il-bab tinis il-as-singdr 

d. low gann banat as-slejb fowk as-sihdra 
wa-m‘awragen bihdidehen naks al-wabar 

6. w-en gann bandt al-bedw fowk al-ebkdra 
w-‘ala-l-hawddeg dellelen kill hawwér 

7. w-en gann banat al-hazar mitl al-amdara 
mutadallelat bel-rawa’ tekel nawwar 

8. w-en gann bandt at-turk saffen tebdra 
malbusehen ja ‘akdb min rali-l-as‘ér 

9. w-en gann bandt al-kufr hom w-an-nasdra 
w-jekal 7d nimr as-sezi tobb w-ehtdr 

10. arid ani mazgnin ‘ajni hejéra 
as-saheb alli farr ‘akli ma‘eh w-tér 


196 


10. 


dig 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


11. vihat gasadha mitl rih al-ebhara 
w-bén esfetéha hardalen bid hammar 

12. askah Sekkah w-beh taref hamara 
w-min al-gemdal al-juisufi zadd ben-nwar 

13. w-lad kajilen cidben w-la hw kamara 
ejza w-ld-ni lit-tematil bejtar 

14. min lameni la towr w-ld hw hemara 
at-towr aswa’? en Zil leh dur jindar 

15. w-allah md-lkdha w-la bil-hawdara 
w-lad jinfa’ at-tahsif balli gara w-sar 

16. w-allah min ‘okbeh 74 ‘omri hasdra 
mar as-sabr billah ‘allam al-asrar. 


. My pen filled with ink begins to move, 


It moves over smooth paper, O my little heart! 


. Like a wolf I wail by day and night, 


And like a deserted, toothless she-camel unable to rise 
from the camping ground I lament. 


. O ‘Akab! I swear by him who limits our days 


And who drew Noah’s ark from the seas: 


. If, O ‘Akab! they should gather all the maidens 


From the mysterious Negd to the gate of Tunis and 
to Sing ar; 


. If the daughters of Slejb on pure-bred asses should come, 


Their cheeks tattooed with the needle in triangles; 


. If the Bedouins’ daughters were to come on young she- 


camels 
And in litters adorning every she-camel of the inner 
desert; 


. If the daughters of the settlers were to come like prin- 


Proud of their gaudy flower-like dresses; [ cesses 


. If the Turks’ daughters in closed ranks should come 


With dresses — be assured, O ‘Akab! — made of costly stuff; 


. If the daughters of infidels and Christians should come 


And should say to me ‘O Nimr! poor fellow, come, take 
thy choice,’ 
I should choose her, who is ever before my eyes, 
The beloved one for whom my reason has fled away. 
The fragrance of her body is like the fragrance of 
costly spice 
And between her lips thou wilt find hardal such as is 
used by the seller of strong drink. 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 197 


12. She is clear white, pink, and bordered with red, 
And her glory exceeds the beauty of Joseph. 
13. No untruth I speak, nor is it a fable, 
For, after all, I am no maker of stories. 
14. He who will revile me must have less wisdom than a 
bull or she-ass, 
For easier it is to persuade a bull which when bidden turns. 
15. By Allah! I shall not find her even among the houris. 
Therefore, to describe what has passed away is of no help. 
16. By Allah himself! with her death my life is destroyed; 
Hence wise is moderation for the sake of Allah, who 
knows all secrets. 


This poem, composed by the poet Nimr eben ‘AdwAn, was 
recited to me by Trad eben Sattam, who learned it from his 
mother, who hailed from the Sirh4n tribe. 

Verse 1. Kalam is a pen cut from stout reed. Zejzaf or 
nad‘em means “smooth, soft.’ 2. Tilb is a she-camel, old, tooth- 
less, and therefore very emaciated. Tawi denotes such a beast 
which can kneel but on account of its weakness cannot rise 
again. Sometimes a feeble she-camel of this kind is left behind 
on the camping ground; the poor beast tries to get up, but 
every time sinks down again uttering bitter moans. Her deep 
sighs are heard far around. She longs for her companions 
whom she is not to see again, and is afraid of the wolves. 
4. “Adara is the name for all young women, whether virgins or 
not. A virgin is called bikr; a female who has lost her vir- 
ginity, mahida. Singar is a mountain ridge southwest of Mosul. 
5. The daughters of the Slejb excel by their perfect shapes. 
Sihadra is the name given by the Slejb to their pure-blooded 
asses, which they often cross with the wild asses. The Slejb 
women are often elaborately tattooed on their cheeks. 6. Hawd- 
deg, quiverings, shakings, the poetical term for Zetab, means 
“large richly colored litters which rock freely.” Hawwar signi- 
fies a camel of the inner desert, inured to thirst, whereas a 
gudi is a camel from districts with plenty of water. A gidi 
is stronger, but a hawwdr will endure more fatigue. 9. Tobb 
denotes “come near,” “step into the center.’ 12. The cheeks 
are clear white and pink and red at the edges. According to 
the story, Joseph, the son of the patriarch Jacob, was very 
handsome. 13. Kamdra is a story pleasant to hear but ficti- 
tious. A bejtdr is a blacksmith, who beside swinging the ham- 


198 RWALA BEDOUINS 


mer also understands the art of healing; likewise a bejtar is 
a maker of metal ornaments in the shape of various animals 
or plants. 14. The ‘Adwan tribe, to which the poet Nimr be- 
longed, is occupied principally with agriculture and the breed- 
ing of cattle. As they use bulls for plowing, they force the 
bull to turn at the end of the furrow. 


1. Habil ja naaj tejren jahumi 
tejr al-hawa’ kill al-mela bak biha 

2. hasajef ad-dinja frth al-gerumi 
alli jsalleken al-habari idéha 

. alli lehom ‘end al-mezahir jowmi 
sejhatahom jakteren al-amrdg biha 

4. hadowk hattaw bezg-zumdjer restimi 
w-alléh al-hasdjer ‘okbehom wus ‘alejha 

5. w-allah ent ten‘a dakkat al-wusumi 
alli-hadaha-l-mowt la tertegiha 

6. 74 hejf ten‘a-lli bhaddah resumi 
en ma thajjet Simaten nesteriha. 


eS) 


1. He who has lost his sweetheart, O thou of many laments! 
is as a falcon that circles, 

A falcon of passionate love to which all common folk are 
victims. 

2. The troubles of this world are like young falcons which 
mind not the thorns, 

But with their claws tear the habdri (bustards).. 

. [The youths] who are summoned to the she-camels 
laden with chattels, 

Whose alarm cries add to the numbers of the rider- 
less horses running to and fro, 
4. They will put a remembrance into the entrails of the foe; 

By Allah himself!.when once they are gone, what a loss 
is ours! 

5. By Allah! thou who mournest for her who is adorned 
with tattooing, 

Know that death will not restore her whom it has 
: once taken. 

6. Shame on thee! Thou mournest a woman with a tattooed 
cheek. 

Why, if she come not as a gift of honor, we shall 
| purchase her. 


SS) 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS EBD 


The poet was Eben ‘Ablan of the ‘Adwan tribe; the reciter, 
Mindil al-Kat‘i. Eben “Ablan reproaches Nimr with doing noth- 
ing but mourn for his wife. 

Verse 1. Mela’ are people not remarkable in any way. 
2. Fruh al-gertimi are young falcons who never leave their 
prey even though it crawls into the thorns to hide. 3. M ezahir 
are she-camels carrying the chattels of the moving clan. As 
a rule they are led by the women, who beckon to the youths 
to defend them when attacked by the enemy. The youths 
utter their alarm cry and throw the enemy from their saddles, 
so that the mares run around without their riders. Such mares 
are called amrag. The young men defending the laden camels 
are considered the real heroes, because the enemy will always 
hurl themselves at these animals when they have scattered 
the warriors who opposed them first. The fall of one of these 
youths is considered a serious loss to the tribe. 


EKlopements 


Hih ja ra‘i-l-bakrat al-haz‘ali 
wuddi-réab maak mar abi7 jez‘ali. 


Hail to thee, who ridest the young she-camel captured 
from the Haz‘al! 
I would fain ride with thee, but my father is angry. 


The father will not let his daughter wed her lover. Haz‘al 
(for Haza‘el) is the name of a tribe which camps on the lower 
Euphrates. 


Ww héh 7a ra‘i-l-bakrat an-ndjife 
wuddi-réab maak mdr ana hdjife. 


Ah, hail to thee, who ridest the she-camel taller than _ 
all others! 
I would gladly ride along with thee but am afraid. 


The maiden fears the fickleness of the lover, who intends 
to elope with her. 


Ja soleyman kalbi mhdlef 

‘allek al-hebb al-agnebijje 

ma hala-t-towb fowk ar-raddjef 
w-al-ga‘ad lejjeten fowk lejje. 


200 RWALA BEDOUINS 


O Solejman, my heart rebels against me, 

For it is aflame with love for a stranger. 

How pleasant when a woman’s dress covers the hips 
[of my camel] 

And the plaits of our hair mingle together. 


Agnebijje is a girl from a different, unrelated tribe. 
With such a one a Rwejli is not supposed to fall in love. He 
did not mean to become enamored, but his heart caught fire 
against his will and clove to the stranger. Of this he com- 
plains to his friend Solejman. The kin of his beloved refusing 
her to him, he decides to elope with her. The maiden mounted 
his she-camel behind the saddle, her dress, towb, covering not 
only the camel’s back and hips but the rider’s hips as well, 
and in a strong wind her plaits mingled with his long hair. 
With the relatives of his sweetheart pursuing him, he fled 
to his own people, who, ignorant of the danger threatening 
him, could not come to his rescue. 


1. Ma bikom alli fatan li ja masazibi 
dam% ‘ala wagneti taszi zwamiha 

2. w-allah ja low ld-l-haja la-rkab ‘ala sibi 
w-asif li direten w-agli lahdliha 

3. w-anhab sahif al-hasa w-al-hegen tasri bi 
w-abiad masdbihah ‘an ddr ahdliha 

4. w-enti firejtini 7a mefrijat al-gibi 
wa-grtihé al-hafije ma had dara biha 

5. 74 Sajn ‘anzen tasaffak bel-“ardzibi 
tatli mahabb al-hawa’ w-as-sajd jutliha 

6. w-as-sajd bisdketeh rdden genddibi 
hi ta‘tedi bel-maha w-ana-‘tedi biha 

7. w-allah jé low ld-n-nahad mda Cdn tasti bi 
w-allah al-zedajel geda killen juraddtha. 


1. There is none among you who may understand me, O hosts! 
For my cheeks are wet with sorrow for her. 
2. By Allah! even if I lose my life, I will surely mount 
my old camel, 
Search another country, and flee to the people who en- 
camp there. 
3. I shall steal her with the slender waist, and at night 
the riding camels will escape with me, 
So that I shall be far from my kin in the morning. 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 201 


4. Thou hast destroyed me, thou who mightest make me 
rend the shirt on my breast; 
The wounds caused by thee are secret, known to no one. 

5. Oh, the eye of the gazelle, who stamps noisily on the 
rocky slope 
Scenting the breeze, while the other gazelles follow her, 

arming after her a waving line. 

As she is agile in the open air only, so am I only when 
with her. 

7. By Allah! she would not have mastered me but for her 
bosom; 

By Allah! her trimmed forehead hair availed nothing, 
for all can grow that. 


The lovesick maiden is tortured by grief because her kin 
opposes her marrying the man of her heart. He therefore 
resolves to elope with her. 

Verse 3. Sahif al-hasa is a girl measuring no more than 
a span around the waist. 4. Mefrijet al-gibi is the name given 
to his beloved, for in case of her loss he would bewail her in 
the same manner that a sister laments her brother or father, 
by rending the shirt on the breast. 5. ‘Anz is the old she- 
gazelle which leads and guards a herd of gazelles. She takes 
her post on a height, scenting the enemy. If she scents some- 
thing suspicious, she looks eagerly in that direction and 
stamps her foot angrily when she cannot at once discover 
the cause of her fears. On catching sight of the enemy she 
flees, with the other gazelles following her in a long line 
which wavers to the right or left according to the direction 
taken by the old doe. 6. Al-maha means the pure air of the 
desert in which the gazelle thrives. 


Treachery in Love 


Hejjeh ja-bu Zedile 

bdini radejt 

atahseb en md-ni jammak 
w-ajni ‘alejk. 


Hasten, thou with a small plait on the temples, 
Thou hast no trust in my faithfulness. 

Oh, thinkest thou I shall not be with thee, 
When my whole soul belongs to thee? 


202 RWALA BEDOUINS 


The maiden doubts whether the lover will keep his word 
and is therefore slow in coming to the meeting. 


Ente ja rai-l-wasem 
had-ddbele 

hebbeni w-efhak an-nadel 
lel-zabele. 


Thou with the fine tattooing, 

Thou with the fair teeth, 

Kiss me and break the neck of the coward 
For the next night. 


Débele is a woman with fine small teeth. 


Ente 7a rai-l-wasem 
hal-hajere 

hebbeni w-efhak an-nadel 
lad-dajere. 


Thou with the fine tattooing, 

Thou, who canst not decide, 

Kiss me and break the neck of the coward 
For the next year. 


If the coward refuses to divorce her, she is to rid herself 
of him by violence, so that she can marry her paramour. 


‘“Awwejt ‘awat az-zahw 
‘ala ‘asiren bakant 

min ‘okbehom ma li ‘aza’ 
‘an as-sawdlef ‘akant. 


I wailed as a wolf wails when the dew has past 
For the lover who has betrayed me. 

After all this suffering I have no courage left 
To resist the claims of my kin. 


The loving girl thinks she has been betrayed and will no 
more oppose her relatives, who want to marry her to another. | 
‘Awat az-zaha’, wailing in the middle of the forenoon, is 
much stronger than ‘awat al-‘asa’, wailing at evening, or ‘awat 
al-lejl, wailing at night. If the wolf captures his prey in the 
evening or during the night, he rests till afternoon; if he 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 203 


howls in the morning after the dew has evaporated, it is a 
sign that he has not got enough at night to satisfy his hunger. 


Wa hanat as-sowk 74 gide 
nawwa ‘ala-l-bowk ja hajje 
w-al-jowm ma ‘alemt bisdtideh 
w-enn-al-razi bdjeken bejije 
halaft ana ‘dd mé-tideh 
halli daffenni w-ara hajje. 
Alas, the treachery of my lover, O Gide! 
He has deceived me, O little sister of mine! 
Today I have heard no excuses. 
And because my desired one has deceived me, 
I have sworn not to return to him any more; 
And do thou hasten and bury me, even if I am still alive. 


A girl loved a youth with all her heart. She knew that 
her eben al-‘amm had laid claim to her and that he would 
not consent to her marrying her lover; therefore she was 
willing to flee with him to another tribe. The death with 
which she was threatened by her revengeful kinsman had no 
terrors for her; for her lover she was ready for any sacrifice. 
Shortly before the day of the flight agreed upon, the Arabs 
were suffering from thirst, magma’. There was no water for 
either men or animals. At that moment the youth confided 
to his sweetheart that he had found under the dry channel 
bank a small hole filled with rain water, rdejjer, where he 
would fill the water bags belonging to his tent and then 
water his camels. The girl kept watch and, when she saw 
him ride away with the camels, tied two empty water bags 
to the water saddle, mounted a she-camel, and drove her 
herd after his, not coming up with him until they reached 
the hole. He was just filling his water bags, holding off the 
camels with a long spear. Catching sight of his sweetheart’s 
camels, he dragged the full bags from the water, jumped 
down into the hole, poured the water into a small hole, over 
which a hide was stretched, and with his long spear stabbed 
the girl’s camels as they crowded to drink. It was in vain 
that she begged him to fill at least one of her bags. He cared 
only for himself and his herd. Then the girl sang the follow- 
ing hegéni (ditty): 


204 RWALA BEDOUINS 


1. Léh tesfez zamlana jowm jisarre 
rih min mojzj al-bahar dawh hegant 
2. lacall md tesfez hatat al-medarre® 
min fowk mda teksom ‘agid al-“andni 
. 1a wa hasdjef hebbeti jowm afarre® 
jowm az-zmejjem Sdre° bet-temani. 


Oo 


1. Why dost thou strike our pack camels when they come 
near the water trough? 
Water them with the water from the basin [coaxing 
them with the words:] dawh! my white one. 
2. Thou wouldst better strike an armed man, 
While thou sattest in the saddle, than kick the shoulder 
blades where the bridle rests. 
8. Alas, woe is me! I regret the kisses at the time when 
I loosened my hair 
And when my darling drank from my teeth. 


Verse 1. Al-bahar is a leather trough resembling a deep 
basin and fastened to wooden legs. It serves for watering 
camels, who are coaxed with the sounds dawh! dawh! and 
ati! ati! 2. The maiden doubts if her lover would strike his 
mailed foe with the same courage; she thinks he would kick 
or press, teksom, with his left foot the upper part of the 
left foreleg of his camel, thus forcing him to run away. 
3. Az-zmejjem means a small ring hung at the left side of 
the nostril, in this instance an ungrateful lover. 


1. Sallejteni jd-l-razi Sella 
hali batidin w-ana hafi 

2. ar-rigel ma tadni al-mella 
w-ana ‘ala-l-harr wakkafi 

. akfejt 7a radéeb az-zella 
w-ana ‘ala darben nakkafi 

A. ‘ajnen teradvé lel-ralla 
kalben terdgté lil-hafr 

5. 7a-l-biz md-nten ‘ala mella 
hada tharregenneh w-da laft. 


ew) 


1. Far out hast thou enticed me, O beloved one! 
Far live my kin, and bare are my feet. 

2. The foot cannot touch the red-hot soil, 
And yet motionless I stand in the heat. 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 205 


3. Thou hast gone back, thou who sittest in a shady litter, 
And I return whence I came. 
4. Be condemned to suffering, the eye that would look 
upon thee, 
And torn out the heart that would long for thee. 
5. O you white ones! who can know you? 
While you dismiss one, another enters. 


Fahad eben Sbejh loved Kazzijje, a daughter of the Al 
Wahif kin. He remained with his people in the neighborhood 
of al-Gowf, while Kazzijje went with hers to an-N ukra, west 
of the Hawran, rarrabow. When the rest of the Rwala returned 
to the inner desert, Sarrakow, where they encamped in the 
vicinity of al-Gowf, Fahad began to search for Kazzijje and 
learned that her kin were camping with the Tajjar kin some- 
where between Damascus and Palmyra. Later, in the season 
of the greatest heat, a traveler brought him news that his 
sweetheart’s people were encamped near Tejma. Mounting a 
camel he went there, despite the warnings of his own kin 
that no Rwala were just then camping along the western 
borders of the Neftid and that war had broken out between 
them and the Sammar. Fahad succeeded in reaching the water- 
ing place of al-‘Assafijje, where he found the relatives of his 
sweetheart preparing to move. He also learned that Kazzijje 
had married in the meantime and was shown her new litter, 
which was just bearing her south. Crushed by grief, he set 
out north for home. East of at-Tajat he was set upon by 
the Sammar, who took his camel away from him and his 
arms as well, leaving him only a pouch filled with water. Now 
he had to make his way barefooted over a scorched rocky 
desert back to his people, who were encamped near the east- 
ern border of the Hawran. Broken in body and spirit, he 
composed this poem, which was recited to me by Trad eben 
Sattam. 

Verse 5. Tharregenneh means “this one you let out (drive 
out) from your heart”; ldfi, “another one enters at once.” 


Lovers’ Quarrels 


Rihaneten nimt ana bzellah 
natejtaha w-al-hawa’? sdéer 
cam “aszeten farakat hellah 
bsd‘aten mad beha dédéer 


206 RWALA BEDOUINS 


w-afrah elja sift zwél lah 
w-hdnat al-‘ajn ma tendéer. 


I slept in the shade of sweet basil 

And went away when my passion was allayed. 

How many sweethearts part from their friends 

In a moment not pleasant to remember! 

How glad I am to see even the outline of her figure! 
And the eye — that deceiving one —is not deluded. 


The lover has quarreled with his sweetheart, they have 
parted, and still he longs for her. Zwejl (diminutive of zol) are 
the outlines of a human figure observed from afar. The identity 
cannot be ascertained; only the fact that it is a human crea- 
ture is apparent. The lover is not sure whether it is his sweet- 
heart or not, his eye can cheat him, but he feels that he does 
not deceive himself. “Hdnat al-‘ajn, Oh, the treacherous, de- 
ceptive eye!” is said even in a tranquil mood, the expression 
being almost one of endearment. 


A chief’s daughter loved a poor Rwejli. Although often 
upbraided for this, she remained faithful to the man of her 
choice. Once they camped in the midst of a good pasture, but 
far from water, so that they occasionally suffered from thirst. 
As the well was very far and the region not safe, only young 
men went to bring the water, the lover of the chief’s daughter 
among them. She did not drink for two days, saving up her 
share so that she could welcome her darling with a dainty 
dish when he returned. When on the third day the outposts 
signaled with their kerchiefs tied to their long spears that 
the youths were returning with water bags filled, the girl 
quickly made up flour for a small cake, added plenty of butter, 
and baked a delicate fatita cake. With this in her hand she 
mounted a she-camel and rode out to meet the young men 
bringing in the water supply, rwa. The women generally ride 
out with a small water pouch when they either have thirsty 
children at home or want to prepare a meal for the hungry 
ones, for the camels carrying the full water bags move but 
slowly, while a woman on a riding camel gets her pouch filled 
from the first youth she meets and can quickly return. As 
soon, then, as the chief’s daughter met the first young man 
with the water, rawwdj, she was told to take as much as she 
needed; but this she declined, saying: “Our rawwaj rides in 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 207 


the rear.” This was repeated several times. At last she sighted 
her lover. He drove before him two camels, each of whom 
carried two large water bags made of camel’s hide and hold- 
ing about 150 liters each; on a third, less burdened, he sat 
himself. 

“Give me some water,’ begged the girl. 

“Thou hast met so many rwa. Did none of them offer 
water to thee? Then if thou didst not get a drink from them, 
thou wilt not get any from me!” 

Then the girl pulled out the appetizing cake. The hungry 
lover looked at it longingly, but she threw it to a dog near by 
and said: 

“T shall not drink from thee, thou wilt not eat from me 
any more!” 

Jumping down from the camel the youth now poured out 
the water for her, but she refused. When he called on her 
in the evening, she drove him away and sang the following 
hegéni: 


1. Hatwa-l-walad jebéi low ma teassa 
jezhak w-low asbah ‘ala éabdeh az-zdd 

2. w-lad hazhazanneh meb‘addt al-ma‘assa 
hadak alli jizher rajib al-awldd 

5. la wa? hasdjef nehdi alli tnassa 
jowm al-gehal w-arhast leh kill mé-rdd. 


1. Many a youth cries when he gets no supper, 
And laughs when filling his stomach from the food 
taken for the journey. 
2. But he who is not disturbed when a she-camel carries 
him away from his supper, 
Shows himself to be a pearl among the youths. 
3. Oh, woe is me! how do I regret that he has inhaled 
the fragrance of my breast, 
In a moment of heedlessness, when I permitted him 
all that he wished. 


Verse 2. Meb‘adat al-ma‘assa, making distant the place of 
Supper, are female riding camels moving away with their 
riders from the home tents, where supper was sure to be had, 
and speeding into the desert, where it is never known when 
a hospitable camp may be reached. Even if the riders are pro- 
vided with flour or wheat, they are always uncertain where 


208 RWALA BEDOUINS 


and when to prepare their supper. If a hostile troop or its 
traces are discovered, such a thing as cooking a meal is not 
to be thought of. 3. Jowm al-gehal refers to those moments 
when, blinded by passion, one acts regardless of the con- 
sequences; such a person is called gahel. 


Unrequited and Thwarted Love 


J&d hmtid wa? ‘dregni sabi 

tard al-hawa’ gizt ana minneh 
akid wazzah an-nijabi 

hadék minni w-ana minneh. 


O Hmid, alas, my gray hair is a hindrance to me. 
Enough now in amorous contests; 

Only she with the white teeth, 

She is my love and I am hers. 


Méa-bri ‘asiri walad kowban 
mitl as-sluki jelobbi le 

ja lehjeten minka‘® as-siban 
w-al-kaml w-ert Zenddileh. 


I will have no lazy glutton for lover of mine, 
Who would cling to me always like a sluki. 
Oh, that chin beard of his, basin for nits 
And lice; and only look at his big head! 


Kowbédn or ‘efen is a fat loafer who likes to eat and 
sleep but is no lover of raids. Sliki (or sluki) is a greyhound. 
While other dogs are not allowed to enter the tent at all, the 
greyhound indulges himself both on the rugs and in the bed 
and will not stir from his master and mistress, eagerly wait- 
ing for a mouthful to be thrown to him. 


Sowki ja ‘uwejd as-sam‘a 
wa mézejjilen bes-siha 
hadi ‘elimak tegini 
w-allah ani mustariha 
edd edd ma tsufak ‘ejni 
7a hareb ‘ala-z-ztha. 


Oh, that lover of mine! that little stalk of sam‘a, 
Ah! in sth plants he hides at noon. 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 209 


Such are the reports I have heard of thee— 

And, by Allah himself! I am at peace. 

Be gone, be gone, so that my eyes may never perceive thee, 

O thou, whom the mere sighting of the enemy turns 
to flight. 


A maiden rejects her lover for hiding like a coward dur- 
ing a raid. Stha is a plain covered with Sih growing as high 
as sixty centimeters, so that a man lying in it cannot be seen. 
Mzejjilen is one who likes to rest in the hottest hours of 
the day, from one to three o’clock in the afternoon. Edd for 
ruh, away. Ziha is the first sight of the enemy. 


Ja wenneti wennet at-tentén 
radi waladhen mafléhen 

en rawwahen jezazen sowtén 
w-en ekbel al-lejl betnadhen 
‘alejk ja 2ddel al-karnén 
kalbi sfiken: limdtahen. 


This is my lament, like the lament of two she-camels 

Whose calf is lost in the pasture. 

When they come back for the night, they wail with 
two voices, 

Even when it grows dark and their legs are tied. 

O thou, whose hair is plaited into two tresses, 

My heart pities thee because of their meetings. 


A youth warns the girl he loves, but who does not re- 
turn his affection, that her lover has others beside her. If 
the Bedouins want to milk a she-camel whose young is a 
weakling, they kill the calf at birth and put another in its 
place. Both mothers now take this calf for their own, caring 
for and nursing it. When such a young camel gets lost in the 
pasture, either by falling into a pit or becoming the prey of a 
wild beast, both mothers wail day and night for a long time. 


‘Azzak ja barken jeluh 
wara-t-tawtl sowbaha 
ja hejf ja ‘asireti 
wa’-l-mubreza ‘ajjaw baha. 
May Allah comfort thee! The lightning flashed 
_ Beyond at-Tawil, whither she wanders. 


210 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Oh, woe is me! sweetheart of mine! 
Alas, she was angry with me, that is why they re- 
fused her to me. 


A maiden in her anger persuaded her relatives to refuse 
her to her lover and moved away with them beyond at-Tawil 
ridge. The expression ‘azzdk is used when lightning flashes. 
In the desert people are often killed by lightning; therefore 
Allah is asked to comfort the survivors. The parting with 
the girl of his heart has struck the youth like lightning. 

Nigmet as-subh dannat fandgilaha 
‘okdeten bizmiri w-ana-diraha 
14 hwalen ‘alla-llah taddbiraha. 


The morning star has shot her rays 

Like a knot into my bosom, where I feel it constantly. 

Alas, these changes! No one but Allah can restore my 
fortunes. 


It is to Allah alone that the disappointed lover looks 
for help. Fandgil mean not only glittering coffee cups but 
the pale rays of the morning star and the reflection of a 
beauty’s white cheeks. The lover has sought his girl in mar- 
riage, but without success because her kin object, although 
at first they were not opposed to him. 


Elja ‘dd ani min Sammar 
was walaani bruwejli 

en Sarrakaw tab al-kejf 
w-en rarrabaw ja wegli 
Sikren dwajeb zahra 

mitl al-bark blejli. 


Why did I, a descendant of the Sammar, 

Become attached to a Rwala girl? 

If they come to the inner desert, I am cheerful of mind, 
But should they go to the settled country, then, Oh woe 
Zahra with her blond tresses [is me! 
Shines for me like lightning at night. 


The Sammar camp in the Nefiid and to the south of it, 
and seldom leave their territory. Only a few Singara clans 
sometimes go to the settled country, rarrabow, generally to 
the Euphrates between al-Kifa and as-Samawa, to provide 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS ALL 


themselves with grain. Our Sammari can therefore meet his 
Rwala maid, Zahra, only in the inner desert, Serk. Women | 
fond of dress dye their hair yellow with henna. 


Fateri tagla’ al-jowm min riglaha 
ja baad zddelen karkasaw haglaha. 


My old she-camel with her hind leg lame today, 
Oh, may she live longer than she with hair clipped 
above her brows and ankle rings clashing together. 


Ajj as-samar walla’-l-bajaz 
low cent ani ‘assdkeh 
hebb as-samar helwt al-gowf 
la wa hani min zdkeh. 
Whether black or white, 
If I were only his sweetheart! 
The kisses of a negro are like the helwa dates from 


al-Gowf: 
Truly, much relish to one who has tasted them. 


A paramour was reproached with having been intimate 
with a negro; she answered with the ditty just cited, which 
is very popular, especially with the negroes. 

Helwa is the most delicious variety of dates raised in 
the basin al- Gowf. Some of these dates are as much as five 
centimeters long and two centimeters thick; they are black 
with a bluish tinge. 


1. Nattajt ras al-abd w-ld Sufet al-adbdas 
w-lad gdni min mazniin ‘ajni mundabi 
2. ma Sufet turkizje w-lad Sufet al-awnds 
min din maznini teldla?-s-serdbi 
3. hani lowni lil-macdlik fattas 
w-alli bkalb swejhebi mitl ma bi. 
1. The summit of al-‘Abd I climbed, but saw no herds, 
Nor did any one come to bring word to me from the 
one for whom my eyes watch. 
2. No travelers, no man at all I sighted; 
Between me and my ward a mirage quivers. 
3. Oh, may he who examines the heart bring my desires 
to a good issue, 
[Allah] who dwells in my mistress’ heart and in mine too. 


212 RWALA BEDOUINS 


The poet was ‘Ali al-Hazemi; the reciters, Mhammad al- 
Kazib and ‘Awde al-Kwéébi. . 

Al-‘Abd is a hill northwest of al-Gowf. Lowni (or hala), 
condition, heart; was lownak is equivalent to was hdlak, how 
are you? 


1. Wardk tezhed jerjes al-‘ajn bina 
tekil hajjal al-egra zejn tasfih 

2. allah lahad 74 ma razgejna w-habina 
1d mad zdsemna halal al-mesalih 

3. 74 ma tadtejna-l-hwa? bidina 
7a ma raéebnahen ‘asejr al-mrawih 

4. al-hows ma hw bass lizd‘anina 
éesem w-hw bén al-wgih al-mefalih 

5. al-bedw w-alli bel-egra ndazelinah 
killen ‘atah allah min habbt ar-rih 

6. jowm al-fztil beheliteé sareinah 
w-al-hejl behwineé swat az-zendnih 

7. jowm inkasar rumhi gedabt as-senina 
w-awdat ‘anneé al-hejl summ al-meddabih 

8. as-sedez ‘endeé mar la teghadinah 
ta‘nezi bes-sedez ja zejnt ar-rih 

9, jd-bu nhejd éema fingal sina 
razzat lel-kalb al-msakke dawabih 

10. ld howh w-lad rumméan w-la tala’ tina 
w-lad mismis al-basra w-la hen tefafih 

11. suhfen belutfen binheza* belinah 
14 rasen mowz hazhazeh ndsem ar-rih 

12. hejjeh e‘tina-l-hakk hejjeh etinah 
w-en ma ‘atejtineh w-allah ld-sih 

13. ld-sih sihat min ralla’? lah geninah 
w-illa haliigen zajjeowha-s-serarih 

14. w-asamme: alli bel-egra ndzelinah 
w-akil bari al-hakk ‘an at-tefazih 

15. min ‘dfana ‘afnah low hw hadina 
w-ld jinfa al-atsdén kitr at-tesabih 

16. low nebi min al-hazran waged lakina 
mar kilna-l-bedw ahsan at-tesdmih 

17. alli nabih al-jowm ‘ajja jabina 
w-ld jindara-l-hira wejn al-mesdalih. 

1. Why does she knit her brows at us, 
Saying: “The rider from a hamlet is good only for trade.” 


AN. 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 213 


. As there is one Allah only, Oh, how often have we gone 


on a raid and crawled on our bellies! 
Oh, how often have we divided among us the herds 
of those who bred them! 


. How often have our hands given presents to the poor! 


How often have we ridden [our camels] at evening, 
craving for a night’s lodging! 


. Fighting was not allotted only to those who move from 


camp to camp, 
But it is also the lot of other fortunate men. 


. For, as to the Bedouins, so to villagers too, 


To all has Allah given a chance for success. 


- When the Fzul laid hands on thy chattels 


And like wild beasts their riders attacked thy brothers, 


- When my spear was broken and I grasped the sharp saber, 


Then I drove from thee the riders, who destroy those 
who sit in tents. 


. Thou knowest the truth, then deny it not, 


For from the truth thou goest astray, O fragrant one! 


. O thou with thy little breasts like china cups 


And full of juice — they give deadly wounds to the heart — 


. Not peaches, pomegranates, nor the fruit of the fig tree 


Nor apricots from al-Basra, nor apples, [are they, 


. But sheets of paper close lying, curved, and smooth. 


O thou fruit-bearing branch of a banana plant rocked 
by the wind, 


. Give here what to us belongs, here give it to us — 


And if thou givest not, by Allah! I will cry out, 


. Surely cry like her whose only child is lost 


Or like a she-camel deprived of her young and for- 
gotten by the herdsmen. 


. Let those who dwell in villages hear me 


When I say: “I desire redress for the public insult.” 


. Him who shunned us we also will shun, though he 


asks our protection, 
For a thirsty one no prayers will help. 


. If we desired [a bride] from the settlers, we should 


find many of them, 
But we said that there is more honor in the ways of 
She whom we desired refused us, [the Bedouins. 
And none knows what is for the best and where to 

seek virtuous people. 


214 RWALA BEDOUINS 


The poet was Fejsal al-‘Ankari; the reciters, Mhammad 
al-Kazib, Gwad al-‘Ani, and Hmar abu ‘Awwad. Turki eben 
Hmejd eben ‘Arej‘er, the chief of the Beni Haled, camping 
by the Persian Gulf in the territory of al-Hasa, had a good 
friend in Fejsal al-‘Ankari, the elder of a small village near 
al-Basra. Fejsal negotiated in Turki’s name with the author- 
ities, sent him foodstuffs, cloth, arms, and ammunition, ad- 
vanced him. money, and took in exchange camels and horses, 
which he sold to Persia and India. With the approach of the 
mid-summer season, al-kejz, Fejsal used to leave his village 
with his servants for a change of air on a visit to Turki; bwakt 
al-kejz jitla’ ‘end al-bedw jebaddel hawa. The latter had a 
daughter, Fejsal a son, and the fathers agreed together that 
their children should marry. It happened that at the begin- 
ning of mid-summer both Fejsal and his son came to Turki 
for a long visit. On the first day an old fat she-camel was 
killed in their honor. On the next day the Bedouins arranged 
an equestrian display, le‘eb al-hejl, depicting a fight with the 
enemy, in which both Fejsal and his son took part, the women 
standing by their tents, meanwhile, to watch the riders circling 
around the camp. A female relative of Turki’s daughter called 
her attention to Fejsal’s son’s performance, praising his strength 
and dexterity. The girl’s answer, however, was: ‘Let him be 
gone from us! A rider from a village is fit only for trade, 
kubbih ‘anna hajjdl al-egra zejn at-tasfih,” and she would 
not hear of becoming the mother of settlers. This caused 
much laughter among the other women who heard the words; 
they shouted them from tent to tent, and before long even 
the children cried: “Hajjal al-egra zejn at-tasfih.” This insult 
naturally pained old Fejsal deeply, especially coming from the 
girl whom he had selected for the wife of his brave son, and 
he made preparations to leave, but Turki succeeded in appeas- 
ing him. 

Soon after this incident Turki’s herds were suddenly 
attacked by the Fzil, a kin of the Zefir tribe. Responding 
to the alarm cries, the riders hastened to defend the herds 
but encountered superior numbers and were slowly beaten 
back to the camp. In order to raise the courage and perse- 
verance of his warriors Turki had a fancy litter fastened to a 
she-camel, in which his daughter had to seat herself. A virgin 
sitting in fancy litters and inciting warriors to fight is called 
‘Atfa’, the same name being also applied to the litters. Throw- 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 215 


ing aside her kerchief, loosening her hair, and unfastening the 
clasp which held the shirt below her throat, she placed herself 
in the litter. Her girl friends, likewise, mounted she-camels 
and rendering at the top of their voices the sounds called 
onomatopoetically zardrit, mingled in the thickest of the fray. 
For a while they succeeded in bracing up the courage of both 
their kin and friends, but the superiority of numbers soon 
told. Fighter after fighter began to disappear, some being 
killed, many wounded; of others, again, the tired mares re- 
fused to obey any longer. 

Finally the ‘Atfa and her female companions found them- 
selves among the tents again. When it became certain that 
the enemy would capture the tents, the girls called to the 
‘Atfa to hide, as it would be the greatest insult to the reigning 
family as well as to the whole tribe should the enemy capture 
the ‘Atfa too. Turki’s daughter drove her animal in front of 
her father’s tent, compelled it to kneel, jumped off and, un- 
hooking the litter, tried to pull it inside; but the tent was 
already surrounded by the enemy, shouting: “Seize the “Atfa, 
seize the ‘Atfa!” Thoroughly frightened, the girl called on the 
“Arej‘er kin to help her, tenha dl ‘arej‘er, but their battie cry 
sounded only in a few places and at great distance. 

Seeing herself deserted by her own kin, the ‘“Atfa caught 
sight of Fejsal and his son sitting in the men’s compartment 
of the tent with their servants, and appealed for help to them. 
In an instant everything was changed. Fejsal, his son, and 
their men quickly mounted their horses, seized the horses of 
the enemy, who had scattered to rob the tents, cut their girths 
and took off their bridles, which they stowed in their own 
saddlebags, and then began to slay the surprised enemy. In 
a little while the whole camp was filled with riderless horses 
without saddles or bridles, a great number of the enemy were 
lying among the tents, and the rest sought safety in flight, 
pursued by Fejsal’s troop and Turki’s men who had now 
rallied. There was much joy over the unexpected turn affairs 
had taken, especially as many of the warriors came back with 
one or two mares, claiming to have lifted their riders out of 
the saddles. 

Before long Turki’s tent was crowded with both young 
and old warriors who boasted of their various achievements, 
while the chief’s daughter listened behind the low partition 
dividing the tent. When she saw Fejsal’s party returning she 


216 RWALA BEDOUINS 


stepped up to the partition, took hold of the middle tent pole, 
and said: 

“Ag gure as I hold the middle pole so surely do you all 
deserve to be chased out by my father. Here you are, bragging 
that you have swept the riders from their saddles, that the 
enemy were afraid of you and fled. Where are your proofs?” 

Turki knew her to be in the right but tried to appease 
her with the words: “Yes, these youths have proved their 
mettle, they do not exaggerate, mda jekassertn.” 

“Chase them away, papa, all of them. The man who saved 
us has not come yet.” 

“Thou art right, my girl,’ replied the father, already 
greeting Fejsal with his son and servants, who were now 
seen at some distance. 

Fejsal’s party dismounted, exchanged greetings with Turki, 
and, sitting down beside him, leaned their tired bodies against 
camel saddles. As soon as they were seated, Turki’s daughter 
came in, walked straight through the men, and kissed Fejsal 
on the head. This made all present flush with amazement. 
Then she stepped up to the bags which had been taken from 
Fejsal’s horses and, pulling out the halters with which they 
were crammed, she cried out: 

“QO you braggarts! Was it you who captured the mares? | 
Here are the proofs. I saw who saved the ‘Atfa and in what 
manner. Father, I would not have any of these youths for my 
husband. Give me the son of al-“Ankari.” 

Turki looked at Fejsal, who said: “After dinner.” He 
then replied: “Ask Allah’s protection, my daughter. After 
dinner I shall ask for you.” 

Towards evening the girl was adorned by the women, and 
all expected Fejsal to ask for her as a wife for his son. But 
Fejsal kept silent. At last Turki reminded him of what all 
were expecting him to say. Then catching up a rebaba, Fejsal 
played a tune and said: “Min ‘dfana ‘afnah low éan rali; him 
who refuses us, we also refuse though he be ever so dear 
to. us" 

The girl, who was listening behind the tent partition, 
fainted, after which the poem cited above was declaimed by 
Fejsal. 

Verse 1. Wardk according to the generally accepted ex- 
planation is equivalent to léh (or lés), for what cause? where- 
fore? The pronunciation “jerjes” was defended by both Mham- 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 217 


mad and Gwad, who claimed that jerjes means brows, whereas 
Hmar said “ja ris al-‘ajn,” which, of course, means the same 
thing. An egra is a small village or hamlet with huts built 
of mud bricks. Tasfih or tahrif signifies any act performed 
for money or simply as a display. 2. Habina stands for the 
activity of the participators in small predatory excursions or 
of the scouts sent to find out by whom certain herds are 
owned and the whereabouts and size of the enemy’s camps. 
They often have to crawl on their bellies so as to escape 
notice and avoid bringing destruction upon themselves and 
their comrades. 8. Hwa’ is the call to supper during a raid. 
Fejsal enumerates his deeds among the Bedouins. 5. Habbt 
ar-rih is a favorable wind, a good opportunity for success, 
booty. The partakers in a raid shout when mounting their 
animals: “Habbi lana jd rihdna, blow us, O breeze [to our 
success]!” 7. Senina is a sharp saber. 


Difficulties Due to Kinsmen 
Ja hamad ja-l-hnejdi O Hamad al-Hnejdi! 


Zetalni hawtk Love for thee has been the ruin of me; 
w-an-nds braga-lidh While others put their hope in Allah, 
w-ana biragak. I put my hope in thee. 


Enhazem ja selim It were well for thee to flee; 

la tabet al-hala’ Do not pass the night behind the camp! 
sdhebi min zedim My friend has long ago 

sammani bel-rala’. Poisoned me with love. 


The maiden warns her lover against the meetings at night 
behind the camp. Hala’ means everything behind the camp. 
Rala’ is the passion of love. 


Ja Sowk ma ta‘ti-l-mabri 
kalb al-mahaliz jadrini 
qa bint ana hédreben tabi 
ligje ‘ala-l-biz ‘orbtini 
qa bint ana-haf min rabi 
w-al-kill jabrié min dini. 
Sweetheart, wilt thou not give me what I most desire 


Before the creatures discover me? 
O maiden! I am ruining my character, 


218 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Since many fair ones have received pledges from me. 
O maiden! I fear my own folks, 
Though, whoever it be that wants thee, is beneath me. 


Jad Sowk hedd al-zidle 
w-esma’ hali nadtini 
kattd‘aten lal-lowze 
w-allah ma jehjuni. 


O darling mine! loose my forehead hair, 
Hear, my kin is calling me. 

They would cut my throat and, 

By Allah himself! would not spare my life. 


Masftih kalbi hak al-masftih 
masftithena al-jowm ma dage 
akbal ‘alejna-hleh radduh 
akfa? éema-l-rosen men‘agr 
hebbet ‘asiri sukkaren dakkuh 
min bén asafth darragr. 


The little fool whom I love, the little stupid, 

My little fool has not come to our tryst tonight. 

He started towards us, but his kinsfolk made him turn 
And he went back like a swaying twig. [ back, 
The kiss of my darling is like sugar, powdered, 
Bubbling out from between his lips. 


Masftih means one who has lost his heart, zaje° kalbeh, 
either from love or fear, one who has no self-control, knows 
not what he is doing, and acts as though feeble minded. Dagi 
is a young man going on a dark night to meet his lover. 
Rosen men‘agi is a twig that sways continually, owing either 
to the wind or, if it grows in a stream, to the flow of the water. 


Jad halaf ja halaf 

gowz az-zéne dalaf 
eraha ‘end ahalha 
manamha taraf. 


O Halaf! O Halaf! 

The beauty’s husband has gone on a journey; 
But see, she stays with her kinsfolk 

And sleeps at the very border. 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 219 

Dalaf means ‘went abroad either to work for wages or 

on business” — for example, to work as a driver of camels 

bought by the ‘Akejl. The wife of the absent man left his 

tent to return to her kin, whose tent was pitched on the very 
border of the camp. 


Jad sdhebi w-an-nebi ma-kfejt 
w-la-trejt ana-l-bowk min hini 
rasb ‘alejje jd-l-razi gazzejt 
darben ‘ala-z-ziz hddini. 


O my beloved, by Allah himself, I am not untrue to thee! 
From the very beginning never have I thought of treachery. 
Against my will, O my desired! as I told thee, 

By a road leading to distress he drives me. 


The second cousin or another near relative, eben al-amm, 
presses his own claim on the girl. She apologizes to her lover. 
W-an-nebi is a very common saying, used even by the Christ- 
lans. Akfa’ signifies a fighter who in fear turns his horse 
around. To this, special blame is attached, as he thus betrays 
his comrades and exposes them to greater danger. Min hin 
means “from the very beginning”; ld-trejt al-bowk, ‘no thought 
of treachery has occurred to me”; razi, “the desired, the one 
eagerly expected”; arzi, “I long for, I wish for.” Gazzejt, for 
hacejt or sihet. A hddi is a camel driver. 


Miserfe 7a hajati 
nadini radejt 

lacan abu min jerodd 
‘an alli barejt. 


Miserfe, thou life of mine, 

Call me, for I have lost my way. 

Cursed be the father of him who keeps me 
From what I desire. 


In a dark night the lover, in a terrain unknown to him 
and cut up by numerous gullies, cannot find the spot agreed 
on for the meeting with his sweetheart; he also curses her 
folk, who will not allow him to come to their tent. 


1. Jd wenneti wennet ba‘rin telle 
bihows eben “dmertes‘at ajjam bekal 


220 RWALA BEDOUINS 


2. al-bard gadhen w-al-matar mardefen leh 
wa mezilhen ‘an herwat as-sams bezlal 

3. walijjiehen ‘abden w-la-had faten leh 
w-lad zunneti Zawihen jasbat al-gal 

4. Can en Sowkak za‘ed bhawtaten leh 
Sowki ma‘ al-bedwan jarha ma‘ al-dl 

5. fowk awzahen ma‘ zemlen ahalha tegill leh 
jatli za‘an Sejhen ma‘ ad-daw w-as-swan 

6. jd ma hala kattat Saraja muzelle 
wadi-l-mra ¢én al-obejjez ma‘ah sal. 


1. This is my lament, a lament for the camels of Telle, 
In Eben ‘Amer’s courtyard fettered for nine days. 
2. The cold and the rain have come upon them; 

Alas! at noon they rest in shade instead of in the sun. 
8. They are cared for by a negro, with none to control him, 
So that, methinks, the strongest of them will not climb 

the slope. 
4. While thy lover squats in his garden, 
My sweetheart slowly rides with the Bedouins in the 
air, vibrating with heat, 
5. On a white camel and watches the pack camels of her kin, 
Following the chief’s family over the vast plain and 
flint-strewn rolling land. 
6. How fair is the green in the shady gullies of 
The valley al-Mra, when water flows through the valley 
al-Obejjez. 


The poet, Hamad eben Najef eben Sa‘lan, had a sweet- 
heart named Telle, married by her kin to the settler Eben 
‘Amer of the village of Caf in the Sirhan depression. They 
brought her to him towards the end of February. There being 
no pasture in the neighborhood, they fettered the camels in 
the courtyard, intending to return the next day. But at night 
a cold rain began to fall, and the party, coming as it did 
from the sunny and warm Nefud without winter clothing, 
was compelled to remain in Caf for nine days. After their 
return Hamad composed this poem. The reciter was Met‘eb 
walad Kurdi. 

Verse 4. Hawta is a date palm grove enclosed by a fence. 
Al means air quivering with heat at noon and distorting the 
outlines of all objects. 6. Wadi, or Se‘ib, al-Mra’ joins al-Obejjez 
valley on its right side. 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 221 


Rivalry in Love 


Ja rabb 7a rdzek hadlan 
bumm al-ujtin al-mezalili 
min ‘okb ma jetili khejsan 
mitl getim al-mahdlili. 
O Lord, thou bestowed’st on Hadlan 
A maiden with eyes shaded with long lashes, 
After his humbling of Khejs4n, so 
That the latter now is like an orphaned, weaned young 
camel. 


The lover Hadlan compelled KhejsAfn, his sweetheart’s 
cousin, to abandon his claim to her. A maklil is a camel more 
than three months old, which feels lost when parted from 
its mother. The other she-camels drive it away, because it 
pricks them when it tries to suck with the sharp piece of 
wood fastened to its upper jaw. No she-camel will advise it 
where and how to graze. If the herdsman did not take care 
of it, the poor little beast would perish of hunger and the 
injuries inflicted by the she-camels. 


Hawwel ja rai-s-Sakra 
hawwel w-e'lini ‘eltiimak 
en Can “ASsek rejri 
la w-an-nebi méa-luimak. 
Alight, thou rider on the sorrel mare, 
Alight and give me thy news! 
Even if thou shouldst love another, 
Verily, by Allah himself, I will not reproach thee with it. 


The loving maiden desires certain news of her lover’s 
treachery. 


Jad Sowk kalbi rada satnén 
tefarraken w-ent malfahen 
ent talkahen behargen zén 
w-illa ma* al-hejd tanhdhen 
helja ‘asiri had al-hasfén 
ma ar-raharih marbahen. 


O sweetheart! my heart is like a stream divided into 
two channels; 


222 RWALA BEDOUINS 


They are far apart and may unite in thee; 
Thou wilt bring them together, if thou speakest kindly 


to them. — 


If not, thou wilt cause them to end in the hillside. 
My sweetheart is shaped like one of two little gazelles 
Reared in the vast glistening plains. 


The youth hesitates between two maidens. Satne is a 
short branch valley or gully. Helja has the same meaning as 
rstim (or awsédf), shape, features. Rahdrih is a wide plain 
glistening in the rays of the sun. 


Al-wagd wagdi ‘ala mtejj7e 
jowm akrasat ma‘ ‘arab rasi 
kurtan ¢an talbetak nijje 
astik lak elfén w-elbasi. 


Alas, for my pain on account of Mtejje! 
From the day when she left like a thing bought with 
the Arabs of Rasi. 
The palsy on thee! If thou wouldst ask something in 
exchange for her 
I would drive two thousand [camels] to thee and other 
things beside. 


The lover laments that his sweetheart, Mtejje, has become 
the property of R&Si, who has paid a large price for her, 
and offers him still more. 

Akrasat means “she went away like a piece of property, 
a thing purchased.” Kurtdn is the gout or palsy or some other 
disease causing paralysis of the legs. 


Al-wagd wagdi ‘ala-n-nirat 
abri min as-sifr leqja majje 
abri elja ga-l-‘arab al-mirzat 
al-mirta‘ed sdjeren sij7e 
abri elja gd-l-arab al-mirzat 
actleh w-cajjel ednejje 
nasidd w-narkab ‘ala-l-ajrat 
nazreb ‘ala-l-hér w-sfejje. 
Alas, for my pain for Nira’s sake! 


I would fain have a hundred yellow she-camels. 
I would fain, when a slanderer comes to the Arabs 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 223 


Chattering and evildoing, 

I would fain, when a slanderer comes to the Arabs, 
Take his measure and make my dearest ready, 

So that we might saddle our strong she-camels, mount 
And ride directly for al-Hor and Sfajje. [ them, 


The lover wants to settle with the slanderer and then 
depart with his beloved, Nira, for the inner desert. The price 
Nira’s kin ask for her is very high; in order to pay it, the 
lover wishes for a hundred yellow she-camels. 

Acileh means “take his measure, settle with him”; ucaj7el, 
prepare, make ready, load, weigh. Al-Hor is a depression in 
the center of al-Hamad; the Habra Sfajje is located there. 


Ja zejd la tagreb al-mahbib 
hw sahebi w-ent kowmédni 
howse low Zzarzarat at-towb 
la ja ba‘ad kill hajjani. 
O Zejd, do not beat my dear one! 
She is my friend, thou mine enemy. 
When Howse lifts her garment, 
Oh, that I may live longer than the whole kin! 


Saheb means a friendly tribe, kowmdni a hostile one. 
Zarzarat at-towb: she raises the dress covering her breasts 
in such a way that they show through the enlarged slit. 
If a girl or a woman wants to encourage her kinsmen to the 
greatest bravery in a dangerous fight, she does so not by 
words alone but also by significant deeds. So, for instance, 
she opens her dress on the breast as a sign of how she means 
to reward the bravest. Her lover then forgets everything else, 
only wishing not to perish in the fight, in order that he may 
enjoy the promised reward. Lé jd ba‘ad means “Oh, that I 
may not be absent, that I may not die.” Hajjdn are the kins- 
folk, who keep together even in a fight. 


Jad wanneti wannejtaha 

w-an-nds ma darjaw baha 

la wahani min gaza‘aha 

bén al-berim w-tawbaha. 
This is the lament which I utter, 
And none knows of it; 


224 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Verily, he has stricken me who lay by her side 
Between her leather belt and shirt. 


Gaza‘ means to roll or throw down; gdza*‘, to lie by some- 
body; engaza‘, to lie sideways. 


1. Ja bint ana kalbi ‘alezkom “asani 
raven lekom 74 bint kalbi nustihi 

2. 74 munakras ad-der‘an safi-t-temani 
ddbat ‘alejhen jda-rjas al“ajn ruihi 

3. Gin al-hbejjeb nijjeteh ma sakani 
was ‘dd j4-l-aslig bdbat sruhi 

A. ja-t-tirf ja gali-t-temdn al-wazant 
mitl al-barad min rts mizneten jaluhi. 


1. O maiden! my heart rebels for thy sake, 
My heart which is a true herdsman to thy family. 
2. O thou with tattooed arms and eight bright teeth 
Which destroy my repose; O thou with long, thick eye- 
3. If the beloved will not reward me, [brows! 
Why should I drive out to the pasture, O thou of the 
fair shape? 
4, O thou twig, which cleansest her eight even teeth, 
So that they are like hailstones that glitter from the 
heights of a black cloud. 


“Awde abu Burk4an al-Kwé¢bi loved a girl named Rusna. 
To gain her he hired himself out to her father as a herdsman. 
But Rusna did not return his love at once, so he composed 
this song and sent it to her. 

Verse 2. Munakras (or munakkas), painted or engraved. 
3. ‘Aslag is a girl neither thin nor fat, but nimble and of 
perfect form. 


1. Al-‘awd ‘al w-alejteh garhadijje 
bel-own ‘awdak ‘djezen leh tesafiz 

2. ja-l-awd ld teéseb beomrak hatijje 
tara?-l-mandja nowb telfi tawafiz 

. mai rsas w-binduken ‘ademlijje 
milfdzaha jerm-as-sahar w-al-ma‘aliz 

4. melhen nazif w-minzihateh idejje 
w-hesseh ema negmen zarab leh sawahiz 

5. rusna kamar ja rseqd mad hi hafizje 
al-kubba alli mad watowha-l-mahaliz 


ie) 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 225 


6. ww krinha tisatin gGowzen w-mijise 
‘alegh min ris an-nacdjem zerdnté 

7. Sebh at-trajja jowm tudaffez delijze 
tenbet ber-rijdz al-mahdjel zemaltz 

8. gezu kalbi jowm tatri ‘alej7e 
zowat geham min al-hadab lat-tesdriz. 


1. The old man does wrong and his evil deed is notorious, 
Verily, thine old man ought to be slapped. 
2. O old man! let not thy sins be the only loot in thy life, 
For see, death will come sometime to settle with thee. 
3. | have with me lead bullets and tried rifle; 
Whatever leaves its muzzle will reach both entrails and 
heart. 
4. Clean powder I have also prepared with my own hands; 
When it fires it sounds like a star falling upon high 
mountains. 
5. Rusna, O Rsejd! is like the moon, she cannot be hidden, 
Or like a dome never trodden by men. 
6. Oh, her tresses! they are a hundred and ninety pairs 
And ostrich feathers are entwined in them. 
7. She is like the Pleiades; when they pour out the water 
from their bucket, 
They make the grass seed sprout in the bare lowlands. 
8. When I think of her my heart leaps 
Like camel herds hurrying from al-Hadab to the inner 
desert. 


The previous poem finding favor with the maiden, she 
began to pay more attention to ‘Awde, and they hoped to 
marry some day. But Rusna was claimed by her kinsman, 
Rsejd, a man already old, quite gray and sickly, of whom the 
girl would hear nothing. Her parents, ‘Awde, and she herself 
begged the old man to let her marry ‘Awde, but RSejd in- 
sisted that she must become his wife. Then ‘Awde composed 
this second poem. 

Verse 1. ‘Awd, old Stallion, is used sneeringly for sdjeb 
(or ihtydr), old man. “Al ‘ala flan has the same meaning as 
ta‘adda’ “ala fldn, he hurt somebody; ‘ajle, the same as ta‘dije, 
to hurt, but in a disparaging sense meaning “he commits an 
evil deed.” Garhadijje signifies an affair spoken of everywhere 
with contumely. RSejd’s behavior was, therefore, generally 
condemned as dishonorable. ‘Ajez leh or muhtdg means “he 


220 RWALA BEDOUINS 


would deserve, he would need”; bel-‘own (for bes-sahth), there 
is no objection, with the consent of all. 2. Tawdfiz or bel- 
wafak, bes-sadfe; tawdfakti or tasddafi: they happened to 
settle it among themselves, they punished each other. 3. Rsds 
are balls, usually leaden ones. ‘Ademlij7e is an old rifle with 
which the marksman is so well acquainted that he never misses 
his aim. Sahar may mean the lungs, liver, or stomach, while 
maalz signifies the heart and the arteries leading to it. 4. “My 
hands have mixed, anzehan, this powder.” The Bedouins fre- 
quently prepare their own gunpowder, trusting it more than 
that sold by the wandering merchants, who mix it with crushed 
charcoal, while the Bedouin knows that his powder is pure, 
nazif. Ankaht hal-binduk, however, may mean “I loaded this 
rifle.’ The sound of a shot is compared to the sound of a 
meteor falling on a high hill. According to the Rwala this is 
a frequent occurrence, and they preserve the pieces of broken 
meteors as keepsakes. 5. Thus ‘Awde threatens to shoot RSejd, 
if he does not give up Rusna. RSejd would like to marry the 
girl secretly, but that is no longer possible, as everybody is 
talking about her and she is looked upon in the same manner 
as the moon or the dome dedicated to some Mohammedan 
saint, which can be observed from afar. Both ‘Awde and Rusna 
were encamped at that time in an-Nukra, a region south of 
Damascus, where along the old Pilgrim Road to Mecca many 
white domes were built in honor of various saints. Rusna is 
then likened to a dome trodden by no man as yet, hence a 
virgin. 6. She has very thick hair and her tresses end in 
ostrich feathers entwined in the hair, zerdniz. 7. All that Rusna 
handles succeeds, grows, takes life, just as the trajzjdwi rain 
gives new life to the grass seed. The constellation of the 
Pleiades catches water in a large bailing bucket and then 
pours it over the scorched lowland. Ri7dzg are depressions in 
the bare plains into which most of the water runs, fertiliz- 
ing them also with the mud it carries along. The seeds of 
the annuals, which sometimes lie dormant for two to four 
years in these depressions, begin to sprout after an abun- 
dant trajjdwi rain, and with more rain the lowland becomes 
a blooming meadow. 8. The thought of Rusna quickens the 
beating of ‘Awde’s heart. The camels do not like the pasture 
in the settled territory; they yearn for the inner desert, to 
which they proceed either to the east of Damascus or to the 
south of Der‘at. Near the latter town rises the hillock of 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 227 


al-Hadab; from here the Rwala march south-southeast to the 
inner desert, lat-tesdriz. The inner desert is called Serk. 


1. Kasart rigli “an muréka-t-tuwdjel 
w-ajni tsdtelni ‘ala rds mesraf 

2. ja-l-karm mani ‘an za‘alhom masdjel 
kalbi ‘ala wazzéh an-nijab mildf 

. al“ajn ‘ajn alli tadebb al-masdjel 
kalbi ‘alejha mezresen jizef wéaf 

4. ma-nsah law hattaw ‘alejje-n-netéjel 
allah w-law-l-zijal jenzel ‘ala éaf 

5. allah w-tawil al-felg jenzel behazel 
w-hawran jenzel min wara’ bird w-ruwif 

6. w-hami rarifen Zl danna-r-rahdjel 
rahal w-azzal leh mazdhir w-slaf 

7. hatta-nni-nsa nakezat al-zeddéjel 
w-amsi btu alli haéa? li bel-enkaf 

8. jd-bu tamad mezed sera’ kill ‘djel 
ja zeben min hallawh w-al-gejs muhtaf. 


Co 


1. My legs I have shortened by climbing high hills, 
And my eyes draw me steadily to the summit. 
2. O sir, it is not their anger I dread, 
For my heart is given to her with the white teeth. 
do. As she warily creeps through the channel 
My heart anxiously follows her and at times ceases to beat. 
4. | shall not forget her till they shovel earth upon mG 
By Allah! even if the mountain %ij4l settled in Caf, 
5. By Allah! or if Hermon should settle in HAjel, 
And Hawran quarter itself beyond the Bird and RwAf, 
6. Or if it should be said of Hami Rarif that he took his 
pack camels, 
When moving, and separated them from the fighters — 
7. Still I should not forget her, who unbraids the hair 
on her temples, 
Nor obey him who always tells me to return without booty. 
8. O father of Tamad, thou who correctest the wrongdoer 
And protectest him whom the frightened camel riders 
have deserted. 


Abu Tamad, the father of Rusna, advised ‘Awde to try 
to forget her, because in any case he would not get her to 
wife. ‘Awde answered him in this poem. 


228 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Verse 1. ‘Awde climbs high hills to see the route taken 
by his sweetheart, who prowls or creeps cautiously, tadebb, 
to the channels in order to meet him without being observed. 
2. Karm is a poetical form of address, referring here to Rusna’s 
father. 4. Netdjel is the earth with which a stone-covered 
grave is filled. The hill of Zijal is 46 kilometers northeast of 
al-Gowf. 5. Tawil al-Fel& (the High One With Snow) is the 
name given by the Rwala to the Hermon mountains, which 
are covered with snow most of the year. Hajel lies about six 
hundred kilometers southeast of Hermon. Bird and Rwaf are 
mountains about four hundred kilometers south of the Hawran. 
6. Hami Rarif rises beyond Tiberias. Danni ar-rahajel, bring 
hither the female pack camels, is the order of the tent owner 
when he intends to move. Mezéhir are the camels when laden 
with tents, utensils, and litters for the women. Salaf are war- 
riors riding one or two kilometers in front of the laden camels. 
7. Enkaf is the return from a raid without success and without 
booty. ‘Awde will not desist until Rusna becomes his wife. 
8. He who tries to drink from a wooden cup, but continues 
talking all the time, cannot pay attention to what he is doing, 
so that the cup often inclines to one side and the water is 
spilt. Then his comrades correct him with the words: “O So 
and So, the cup is tilted, al-zedah mutasdweren.” Likewise 
one who does wrong also bends, partly because he is ashamed, 
partly with intent to deceive. Abu Tamad makes straight or 
rebukes such a crooked fellow, sera’ kill ‘djel. and thus prevents 
injury. 


THE WEDDING 


‘The wedding, as arule, takes place immediately after the 
wooing. In the morning some one — even a slave — kills before 
the bridegroom’s tent a she-camel, as a dbiht al-‘ars, wedding 
sacrifice. Neither of the betrothed needs to be present. To- 
wards evening a small round tent, hegra, is pitched by the 
women near by and the bridal bed made there. Among the 
poorer people a corner of their inhabited tent is partitioned 
off for the young couple. Two or three of the bridegroom’s 
female relatives go to the bride to bring her towards sunset 
to the prepared tent. A little later the bridegroom also enters, 
after which the tent is closed altogether, jehaggeren ‘alejh 
hegraten. 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 229 


There are no special wedding ceremonies. Part of the 
meat from the slaughtered she-camel is distributed among’ 
the members of the bride’s kin and acquaintances, the rest is 
served for supper in the bridegroom’s tent. Nobody is invited, 
nobody brings any wedding presents. There is no party, no 
dancing; neither the girls nor women sing or shout with joy. 
Often even the relatives of either the bridegroom or the bride 
do not know that there is going to be or has been a wedding. 
Neither does the slaughtering of a she-camel signify anything 
especially important, because an old or wounded animal is 
killed quite frequently. The tiny round tent, hegra, alone shows 
that there has been a wedding. But if it was put up at sunset 
and the camp moves elsewhere next morning nobody takes 
notice of it, except perhaps the nearest neighbors. 

The morning after the wedding night the bridegroom 
goes to the men’s compartment, rab‘a, of his family tent, where 
he is saluted with the words: “Be blessed, may good be thy 
portion! lafi ‘alejk al-hejr.” The bride is likewise visited by 
the women, who greet her: “Mayest thou bring good to thy 
cousin!” The young bride receives a gift from her father-in-law, 
then leaves the hegra to join the other women of her hus- 
band’s family in the tent, although she need not work for 
seven days after the wedding. Her husband attends to his 
work as usual, also buying her trousseau, which consists of 
various blankets and rugs, as, for instance, the bsdt, wool 
carpet, nasije, thin fabric rug, sigdde, prayer carpet, lhaf, 
European quilts, and of dresses and kerchiefs. The trousseau 
is given to the wife after, never before, the wedding night, 
elja-‘ras ‘alejha, and she is not obliged to return it. 

If a widow or a divorced woman marries again, she is 
free from work for three days only. 

When a man marries for the first time he stays with 
his wife for seven nights, but if he already has another wife 
he devotes himself to her also. 

A young husband is greeted with the words: “Blessed 
be the tent! mbdarak al-bejt,” his answer being: “May (Allah) 
bless thee still more! béreé lak bel-mubdrak.’ When speaking 
of a woman’s husband the word ragolha, her man, is used; 
of a man’s wife, mruteh (or hurmeteh), his wife; and the 
husband addresses his wife as rd‘ijet bejtena, the mistress 
of our tent. 

The Rwala usually have only one woman in a tent, seldom 


230 RWALA BEDOUINS 


two, and very rarely three. A young Rwejli almost always 
marries a girl whom he loves, and remains faithful to his 
young wife till the sixth or seventh month of her pregnancy. 
Then his love cools and in many cases he begins to look for 
another girl or divorced woman whom he also marries, unless 
he is setting out on a raid. If the latter is of several weeks’ 
duration and he comes back exhausted, he desires no new 
marriage and waits for his wife’s confinement. If she bears 
a boy, the young father is so happy that he clings to her 
again and banishes the thought of all others from his mind. 
If the wife behaves with sense, keeps the tent in order, can 
cook cleanly, is not strongheaded and quarrelsome, the husband 
often remains faithful to her all his life. 


PLURALITY OF WIVES 


In case a husband is not fully satisfied with his first 
wife, he generally takes a second one. The first wife in the 
beginning is much displeased with her new companion or 
neighbor — arti, as she calls her —and abuses her to the best 
of her ability. “Why didst thou come to me? Couldst thou 
find no one but my man? O thou daughter of So and So! 
O thou cursed in both thy parents! Léh gitini ma lazejti rejr 
gowzi enti 7a bint fldn jd mal‘tinet walidejn.” However, the 
resistance put up by the first wife is, as a rule, not of long 
duration. In a comparatively short time peace is concluded 
by the women and they live together like sisters. 

When a man has two wives, each cooks for him a day 
in turn, and on that day he usually eats and sleeps with her. 
Such is the woman’s right, hakkaha, which nobody is allowed 
to violate. If he sees that his wife is dissatisfied, the man 
asks: “What art thou angry about? I have not infringed thy 
right. Léh taz‘alin md-htejt ‘alejé behakkec.” Even when he 
does not love his wife, the man should devote himself to her 
on the nights belonging to her. He need not have sexual in- 
tercourse with her, but neither must he with the woman he 
loves. In such cases he usually sleeps in the men’s compart- 
ment, or lying down at his wife’s head he says: “To night 
I wish for nothing, md-ni bari hal-lejle,” and the woman dares 
not say a word. Sometimes the women haggle among them- 
selves: “Let me have the man tonight!” “What wilt thou give 
me for it?” If they come to an agreement, the woman who 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 231 


has the right of sleeping with the man that night, dowrah, 
says to him: “I grant thee furlough, now go to thy wife over 
there! ana msdmhatk ersed ‘enda maratk hundk.’ But should 
the man infringe the right of one of his wives and spend 
several nights with the other, the deceived woman may rage 
as much as she will, but it will not do her any good, especially 
if her husband has paid to her kin the price asked for her. 
If a near relative of the woman dies, the man may and even 
should have intercourse with her for several nights, to comfort 
her in this way at least. During her monthly period, ‘alejzha-l- 
hejz, the man must not touch the woman for from three to 
five days, and not for forty days after the birth of a child. 
During the monthly period the woman cooks and eats with 
the others as usual. If a man wants to beget a boy, he must 
have intercourse with a woman on the night of Thursday to 
Friday, gama‘aha lejlt al-gum‘a, as the name of Friday, gum‘a, 
recalls sexual intercourse, gemma. 


TREATMENT AND DUTIES OF WOMEN 


The role of the woman is to bear and bring up children, 
to prepare the meals, to sew, and to pitch, strike, and load 
the tents, tehajjet, tebni, tarmi, tesil al-bejt; also to load up 
the entire outfit of the tent, to collect the ecamel’s hair and 
weave from it the bags and various saddle ornaments, tenta’, 
to procure water, trdwi, to gather fuel, tehatteb, to go out 
to buy wheat and barley, tesfer, and to supply the mare with 
fresh sih and nasi, teSajjeh w-tehuss lal-faras, ete. 

The man who loves his wife helps her in all these labors. 
He never lets her pitch, strike, or load up the tent alone, but 
along with his herdsman, servants, and sons always aids her. 
The camels carrying the supplies are guarded on the march 
by a servant or slave, the master or his son once in a while 
coming to see whether any of the pack camels needs help. 
Hauling water from a distant well is likewise usually the 
work of the son, servant, or herdsman; the master himself 
in this case drives out the herd to the pasture. A careful 
husband often loads two or three camels with fuel, especially 
dry branches and small stumps of raza or arta — all this to 
save his beloved wife labor. Even the grass and hay is brought 
in by the sons and servants. 


232 RWALA BEDOUINS 


On the other hand, a man not on good terms with his 
wife lets her do all the work herself, urging her on to greater 
speed all the time. When the whole camp is on the move, 
the man saddles both his mare and camel, lights a fire near 
his tent, makes coffee for himself, and watches his wife with 
the servant or daughter strike and load the tent, furniture, 
and supplies. When this is done, he attaches the mare by the 
rein to the camel, mounts the latter, and rides forward to 
the head of the moving camp where he joins the warriors, 
salaf, not troubling in the least about his pack camels. On 
arriving at the new camping ground he selects a place for 
his tent, takes off the saddles from the animals, leans against 
the camel saddle, and waits for his wife to come and pitch 
the tent, spread out the rugs, and bring fuel. Only when all 
this is done will he enter the tent, build a fire, and make 
his coffee. Thus he acts the master until a reconciliation with 
the wife takes place; then he helps her again. 

When guests arrive in the man’s absence the woman 
says to them: “See, O guests, the master of this tent is not 
at home, tardkom 74 zujuif rai-l-bejt mad hw hdzger.” Then she 
brings into the part of the tent reserved for the men fuel 
and red-hot coals, gives the guests the canister with coffee 
beans, water, and the coffeepots, and then returns to the 
women’s compartment to prepare supper. When this is ready, 
if the herdsman or the servant is not back by that time, she 
calls the youngest of the guests or the one she knows to be 
the lowest in rank and hands him the dish with the food to 
carry to the others. If the wife is acquainted with the guests, 
she joins them after supper, drinks coffee with them, and 
amuses herself: in their company till midnight. 


DIVORCE 


The husband cannot be compelled to divorce his wife; 
there are no reasons which would either require or prevent 
it, en tallezha ‘ala kejf. If he wants to divorce her he can 
do so without telling her the reason, even should she beg him 
on her knees to keep her. Often he does not know the reason 
himself, for he has none. He simply takes a notion to divorce 
her and he does so, even though he may regret it soon after- 
wards. This is done most frequently by the younger chiefs 
who for political reasons are obliged to advance themselves 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 239 


by marrying the daughters of other chiefs. After six months 
or, at most, one year they divorce their young Wives, regardless 
of whether they have borne them children or are pregnant, 
and marry another girl or woman, so that they never have 
more than one wife in the tents. 

According to common opinion, a man should divorce his 
wife as soon as the one becomes disagreeable to the other. 
As the proverb has it: “Reproach a herdsman or a wife with 
nothing; if thou hast occasion to reproach them frequently, 
thou hadst better dismiss them; ar-rdé% w-al-mara ld tend- 
kerhom elja tabri tendkerhom dasserhom.” When divorcing a 
woman the man says to her: “Go away! See, now thou art di- 
vorced and may attach thyself to another man! kowteri taraé 
talez w-ar-raggal ‘alez.” Or he says: “Thou art free altogether. 
Thy saddle cover is spread over thee! Hazgra’? mazfi ‘aleve gela- 
lec.” This means that in the same way as a saddled mare may 
be ridden by any one, any man may marry a divorced, and thus 
perfectly free, woman. The divorced wife gathers together her 
dresses, pillows, blankets, and rugs, saddles her she-camels, 
and loads her property. Just as she is about to depart the man 
says to her: “As soon as thou reachest the tent of thy kin 
and settest foot in the tent of thy kin, thy divorce will overtake 
thee in the tent of thy kin, elja wasalti bejt haleé taldzeé Vegue 
jaselé ila bejt haleé,’ for on the way from her husband’s tent 
to that of her parents: she is still under his protection. The 
moment she enters the tent of her kin, she breaks definitely 
the ties binding her to her husband and belongs to her ahl, 
kin, and to no one else. As long as her father is living, he is 
the representative of the whole kin for the divorced woman; 
after his death her eldest brother is the representative. If 
there are no brothers, the duty falls to the nearest relative, 
either an uncle or cousin. 

The divorced woman may be remarried three times by her 
former husband. If he will not remarry her he proclaims: 
“Thou art divorced three times, enti tdlez bet-taldt al-haw4a- 
rem.” The man who divorces his wife without’ claiming what 
he has paid to her relatives may limit her freedom, jehagger 
tahgir, by stipulating: “I let any one have thee except So and 
So, to him I will not give thee; an-uhallié likill ahad ‘okob 
flan (or kowd flén, or rejr flan) méni mhallié leh.” Or he 
may say: “Anybody may take thee but So and So, an-uhallié 
likill ahad ja ‘okob (ja kowd or ja rejr) flan.’ When a man 


234 RWALA BEDOUINS 


wants to marry a second time the woman whom he has di- 
vorced, her kin may ask a new sijdk, dowry, for her, provided 
he has had no children by her and she is not pregnant. If 
the man divorces the wife of his own accord, he is not en- 
titled to compensation, but if the wife asks her husband: “Let 
me go! tallezni,” he may reply: “Bring what I have paid for 
thee! hati-lli wardé.” 

No quarreling, words of abuse, or lamentations of married 
couples are ever heard in the Rwala camps. A man ought never 
to be seen beating his wife or vice versa, as by doing so they 
would disgrace, ‘ajb éebir, themselves and their respective kins 
for all time. Woe to them, therefore, should they do so — for 
then the husband’s kin and the woman’s kin as well as all the 
neighbors would come over and expel them from both the camp 
and the tribe. This is the reason why a man never quarrels 
aloud with his wife, although he may often and thoroughly 
beat her, jektelha (or jedebbaha), being careful, however, that 
nobody shall see him. In the daytime he does so in a corner of 
the tent, at night in bed. The punishment is applied with the 
stick used in driving his camel, and that unsparingly. The wife 
generally covers her face with the bedquilts or presses it into 
the pillows to prevent even the least sound of her crying from 
being heard. Otherwise the man might keep on beating her 
still longer, and any other man might come in, on hearing her, 
to assist the husband. If the ill-used woman complains to her 
relatives, she has to return to her husband without getting 
any satisfaction. . 

Misref eben Kurdi once beat his young wife, a daughter 
of Prince an-Nari, for more than an hour not only over her 
back but over the head as well, so that it was swollen for 
ten days. On complaining to her father, the only satisfaction 
she received was that she would get still more if she did not 
behave herself. She was known to torment MiSref in a hundred 
ways, while he repaid her with sound beatings. For no sooner 
was she born, than Misref, her second cousin, claimed her for 
his future wife, haggarha. When she grew up she could not 
bear the sight of her bridegroom-to-be, but the more she 
scoffed at him, the more he insisted on marrying her. Prince 
an-Niri himself and his son Nawwaf also begged MiSref to 
give the girl her freedom, but, appealing to his privilege as her 
nearest relative whom it is permissible for her to marry, eben 
al-amm, he maintained that he would not do so before she had 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 235 


become his wife. Finally Nawwaf himself advised her to con- 
sent, comforting her with the hope that Misref would free her 
immediately after the wedding. Then she answered: “I shall 
not disregard the counsel my father and my brother give me 
nor act against their advice, ana md-tla’ min Sowr abiij w-ahuj 
w-la-hdlef Sowfathom.” On the wedding night she escaped from 
the round tent, hegra, and would not allow Migref to come 
near her. After becoming MiSsref’s wife she admitted that she 
was in love with Mamdih eben Sattam and resolved to remain 
a virgin until she could marry him. Migref, who loved her 
greatly and was now suffering not only from jealousy but 
also from the sneers of his friends, gave vent to his anger 
by beating her and swearing that he would never give her 
back her freedom. 

A woman in fear of a beating leaves the tent and follows 
the first man she meets into his tent, or she may enter any 
tent, where she asks for protection. There she may stay as 
long as she pleases. Such a woman is called za‘ldne. The owner 
of the tent sheltering her will never ask her to leave or to 
return to her husband’s tent. The latter will, as a rule, send 
some relative or servant to her. When they return to him 
with the information that she is inclined .to be reconciled 
with him, he waits for her at the time of the next moving, 
leads her camel to his tent, where he makes it kneel, and 
says: “Enter the tent! futi-la-l-bejt.” The wife obeys without 
further ado and takes up her work as if nothing had happened. 
But if the man is really angry with the woman who has run 
away from him to another tent he will not send her word to 
return to him; he ceases to care for her and pretends not 
to know her at all. Such a woman is to be pitied, indeed. 
Her husband is not obliged to feed or clothe her, because she 
has left him voluntarily; neither will he divorce her without 
receiving compensation, and her relatives are vexed with her 
for the disgrace she has put upon them. If she is not young 
and pretty, nothing is left to her but to work as a servant 
in some tent; if she is, she looks for some one to elope with 
her and thus help her to freedom. 

In the case of dissolutions of the marital bonds as here 
described it is not always easy to return to the man his 
bride’s dowry, if he has paid it in full. For her relatives may 
have already divided the amount among themselves and may 
be unwilling to restore it or make compensation. The woman 


236 RWALA BEDOUINS 


who desires to be released for a compensation is called ‘ajvf. 
All she can do is to appeal to the sympathy of her kin. She 
calls on either her father, brother, uncle, or cousin, pleading: 
“T do not want him! Return what you have received from 
him!” But they try to evade her request with the words: 
“Go back! Thou surely wilt get used to him!” She, however, 
keeps on begging until she finally persuades one of them 
to help her. If she does not succeed and they all refuse to 
do anything for her, nothing remains for her but to elope, 
for should she seek protection from others against her own 
kin the father or brother could kill her, as she is considered 
to be the property of her father. He begot her, and her brother 
inherits her from him. 

A man who divorces his wife, even if she has stayed 
only one night with him, must give her a camel and a pack 
saddle, hedage. Nobody has the right to take these away from 
the woman thus divorced, mutallaka. Yet anything in addition, 
karam, received from her husband his heir may demand back. 
The trousseau bought for her by the husband belongs to 
her only. In case she has young children she takes and cares 
for them till the age of seven; then they return to their 
father’s tent. 

In the later stages of pregnancy the divorced wife may 
remarry at once. If her pregnancy is not yet visible, she has 
to wait at least six months, leha ‘edda, and as soon as it 
is clear whether or not she bears the seed of her husband 
in her womb, she may become the wife of another. The 
Rwala fear quarrels and lawsuits regarding the paternity of 
a child born after a married couple has separated and there- 
fore require the woman to wait. The disregard shown by the 
chiefs for this rule is often a cause of protracted litigation. 

Thus, to give an instance, the chief Fahad eben Hazza‘ 
eben Sa‘lan divorced his wife, whom before long another chief, 
Halaf al Iden, took to his tent. After about a year she gave 
birth to a boy to whom she gave the name of Trad and who 
erew to maturity in the tent of his father; but when he was 
about to marry he quarrelled with his father and moved to 
another tent. This was due to the story told him by his old 
slave that he was not the son of Halaf but of Fahad, who 
had in the meantime become the prince of the Rwala. To 
Trad Prince Fahad naturally seemed much grander than a 
small chief like Halaf, and therefore he at once went to him, 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 237 


introducing himself as his son. Without giving the matter 
much consideration or making long inquiries, as he was 
at feud with Halaf, Fahad acknowledged Trad as his son 
and asked his brother an-Nuri to give the young man his 
daughter to wife. But when an-Niri acquainted the girl 
with this proposal she swore that she would never consent. 
On learning of this Fahad commanded an-Nuri, whom he 
wished to ruin: “Either thou bringest thy daughter to the 
hegra tent thyself, or it will be done by me without thy 
consent.” An-Niri therefore bade his female slaves to get 
the hegra in readiness and to bring his daughter there after 
sunset. The girl, however, in the meantime had persuaded 
her brother Nawwaf to wait for her at night by the place 
reserved for the riding camels and to save her from Trad. 
When this youth entered the hegra she began to converse 
with him, pretending to be sorry that she knew him so little 
and saying that she should be much happier if he would marry 
her for love and not from compulsion; and when Trad tried 
to assure her that she had already been the object of his 
desire for a long time, she asked him for proofs. Trad now 
began to cite at some length all the instances where and 
when he had seen and inquired about her, by whom he had 
sent word to her, etc. The time flew and the moon set. Sud- 
denly she rose asking Trad’s permission to step out in order 
to satisfy a natural necessity. Trad nodding his consent, she 
left to return no more. To the man guarding the female 
riding camels she gave the same reason that she had given 
Trad and then walked some distance farther into a small 
gully where Nawwaf was waiting for her with a saddled she- 
camel. He then leaped into the saddle, she took her seat behind 
him, and on they rode to Eben Gandal. 

Trad was patiently waiting for his bride in the tent all 
this time. Realizing at last that the girl had outwitted him, 
he was ashamed to alarm the camp and said in the morning 
that she had left with his consent. That very day Fahad 
received a visit from the chief Halaf 4l Iden with his wife, 
Trad’s mother. Both swore that Halaf was the real father of 
Trad, because, after having wedded Halaf, the youth’s mother 
had still had her monthly period three times in succession. Yet 
Trad appealed to Fahad to protect his son and not to believe 
a false oath. Fahad finally declared that Halaf must appear 
in court at al-Ela. The latter duly went to this settlement 


238 RWALA BEDOUINS 


with three witnesses and, appealing to the judge there, laid 
his case before him and asked him for his decision. The judge 
took a long iron spoon used in roasting coffee, stuck it in 
the fire, and, when it became red-hot, asked the witnesses to 
examine Halaf’s tongue. As soon as this had been done, the 
judge quickly lifted the hot spoon to Halaf’s mouth. Halaf 
licked its red-hot part, rinsed his mouth with water, and 
showed his tongue to the witnesses anew. As the tongue was 
not burned, they declared Halaf’s oath to be true. The judge, 
al-mballe‘, received from the latter fifty megidijjat ($45) as 
his fee. Trad was acknowledged to be his son, and an-Nari’s 
daughter kept her single state, because, Halaf’s son not be- 
ing her cousin, Trad had no claims on her. 

A married woman, mara berkubat raggal, has plenty of 
opportunity to make the acquaintance of other men. Divided 
from the men’s part of the tent by only a low, thin, almost 
transparent partition, she can observe and hear all the visitors 
and guests who call. While the tribe or clan is migrating she 
is often joined by some member of the clan, or at least of 
the camp, who helps her to pack, to lift, or to tighten the 
loosened loads; accompanies her on trips for water, fills the 
water bags, and ties them to the water saddle; sometimes he 
meets her as if by accident when she is bent under the burden 
of dry fuel, loads it on his mare or she-camel, throwing it 
down only when the camp is reached; altogether there are 
countless accidental meetings of this sort. But that man in- 
eratiates himself with the woman most of all who defends 
her and her camels when attacked by the enemy on the march. 
To such a protector her heart is given. 

Of her love for another man no secret is made by a 
woman, and soon it is said publicly: “So and So’s wife is in 
love with So and So, marat fldn hawjdnaten ‘ala flan.” If 
this comes to the husband’s ears and he is a man of a mag- 
nanimous disposition, he releases her without raising objections 
and asks no compensation, although he is entitled to the return 
of the dowry he had given for her. A man of this kind is 
wont to say: “She is a free daughter of a free tribe. Allah 
made her love another man, so I will not hinder or make a 
slave of her.’ It is only the base men, arddil an-nds, who 
take advantage of their wives’ love to benefit themselves, 
asking five and even ten times as much as they themselves 
had paid. Such a demand is called kejje. If his wife’s lover 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 239 


cannot meet the demand and her kin will not help, the lover 
can only elope with her. Then they seek refuge either with 
the Sammar between the middle Euphrates and Tigris, or 
with the Lhejb in the vicinity of Aleppo, or,.perhaps, with 
the Sirhan and Beni Sahr on the southwest border of the 
Hawran. Once there the lovers care not in the least for either 
the husband’s or the wife’s-relatives. An elopement carried 
through successfully dissolves the marriage as completely as 
a divorce itself. The eloper may now make the woman of his 
heart his lawful wife but must not return with her to his 
kin before a reconciliation with her former husband and re- 
latives is effected; otherwise he would expose both himself 
and her to taunts of every imaginable kind. Therefore he 
sends to them one messenger after another with entreaties 
for a reconciliation, which, however, is not easily attained. 
The former husband is generally obdurate much longer than 
the woman’s kin. These accuse the husband of having him- 
self caused the elopement by his unwillingness to let her x0) 
and also because he was unable to guard her better in the 
first place. They sometimes go even as far as to threaten 
that they will demand from him compensation for staining 
their honor, should he not forgive both the lover and the 
wife with whom he has eloped. For has she not been carried 
away from them as much as from him? And was he not her 
proper guardian and protector? The deceived husband must 
not kill either the eloper or the woman, for then he would 
furnish a reason for revenge. An elopement of a married 
woman is brought about by stratagem, not by force, and strat- 
agem is not punishable with death. 

If a plain but healthy girl cannot find a husband, it is 
the duty of her nearest kinsman with whom marriage is 
permissible to marry her; should he refuse he would be a 
butt for jokes among all his kin forever. In this manner a girl 
of al-Witre (or al-Wutara), subject to Eben Fa‘tr of the ‘Ebede 
tribe, was married in 1909. 


PENALTIES FOR UNCHASTITY 


Whoever accuses a female, whether girl or woman, of 
unchastity and cannot prove it, forfeits his hand; this is cut 
off by a kinsman of the accused. If he puts himself in good 


240 RWALA BEDOUINS 


time under the protection of some powerful personage, he 
must give ten camels to the girl or woman he has insulted. 

Many a Rwala girl becomes pregnant before the wedding. 
As soon as this is noticed by her relatives, they try to help 
her by various means, even if injurious to her health. Should 
the girl die from an abortion nobody will ever hear of it, as 
the women keep silent and the men as a rule pay no attention 
to matters concerning women. If the girl cannot rid herself 
of the foetus, she presses her lover to marry her at once, 
but in case he refuses or is absent at the time she often 
commits suicide. For should her father-or brother find that 
his daughter or sister is with child, he would coax her on 
some pretext outside of the camp, kill her, cut her body in 
ten pieces, and then bury them. Nobody will take the girl’s 
part, nobody asks the reason, they simply talk of her as Mi 
she had died a natural death. Her kin, ahi, would not allow 
a single girl who had become a mother to stay among them. 
Her child would not be a member of the kin, and, because it 
would not be acknowledged by the father on account of its 
illegitimacy, it would be without a kin and would stand in the 
clan like a stranger, without protection, without help. But a 
position of this nature is so contrary to the views and customs 
of the Bedouins that it is never allowed to arise. A pregnant 
girl may escape from her tribe and seek refuge in the settled 
territory or in a large town and try to make a living there. 
If she disappears without making herself conspicuous, no one 
will pursue her; she is soon forgotten, yet must never return. 
Her kinsfolk consider her dead and would kill her should she 
come back to them. The girls, of course, know the punishment 
meted out to them, and therefore place a saber between them- 
selves and their lovers at their night meetings, with the warn- 
ing: “I am a maiden! Fear Allah. Ana bint hef min allah.” 

Only when the girl has been raped, marstiba, will her 
relatives spare her, but in this case they kill both the violator 
and the child without mercy, and then demand from the 
murdered man’s kin the blood price for the child. This cannot 
be left alive, as it would have no kin, ahl, and compensation 
for it is asked because it has weakened the girl, a member 
of their kin. 


MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 241 


CHARACTER OF BEDOUIN WOMEN 


The Bedouin women are renowned for their acuteness. 
They comprehend quickly but use much caution in expressing 
themselves, as the following story will illustrate: 

A young Bedouin was riding on his mare to a neighboring 
camp. Being thirsty, he halted in a small camp through which 
he was passing, before a tent where he saw only two women. 
One was old, Hie mother, as he thought; the other much younger, 
her daughter, perhaps. The younger one stepped out from the 
tent, and the rider addressed her thus: 

“If we knew the name, we should salute; low ‘arefna al- 
sem sallemna.” Her answer was: 

“If we knew the name, we should return the salute. When 
dost thou grasp thy saber? kazabt sejfak.” 

The rider understood the meaning of her words and, be- 
cause he expected to grasp his saber in a revolt or bloody 
quarrel known as fetna, he addressed her by this name and 
indicated his own by pointing to the beauty of her face, hasan. 

“Be strong, Fetna! What manner of face hast thou? kaw 
fetna nazar wagheé.” 

Without a moment’s hesitation the girl replied: “I welcome 
thee, Hasan!’ 

The rider asked for water. She filled a small wooden trough, 
zedah, and held it to him so that he could drink more easily. 
As he was sitting in the saddle, she had to raise her hands, 
the wide sleeves of her shirt slipped down to the arm pits 
and her arms were bare, revealing to the rider the hair under 
them. With a sigh he said: 

“What a pity! If only the nether hair were as long as 
the upper! 74 hejf en Gan wétth mitl ‘dlth.” 

To indicate that she understood, the girl replied: “It is 
still without a master, min Zillet wdlth.” 

Glad of conversing with a virgin and liking the looks of 
her, the rider asked: 

“Will you receive a guest gladly? ‘endakom laz-zejf ekradm.” 

“Certainly, if he is destined to eat of our food; elja an 
leh nasib bat-ta‘dm.” 

He then jumped off his mare; as the girl was leading 
it aside she stooped down in order to tether the animal to 
some object. Noticing near the tent a heavy spare peg of the 
kind used for securing the tent ropes and also a few smaller 


242 RWALA BEDOUINS 


pegs for fastening the back tent wall, she took the heavy 
peg in her right hand, one of the smaller ones in the left, 
and tried to drive it into the ground in order to tether the 
mare. But the ground, being scorched and hard, the peg could 
not be driven in. She therefore complained to her mother, but 
in a careful way so as not to offend against decency. Hence 
she preferred to say wood, hasab, instead of peg, wadd: 

“Mama, I hammer wood with wood, but the ground will 
not let in the wood. Hand me a big stone to hammer the 
wood with. Jé jumma-dukk al-hasab bel-hasab w-al-kad ma 
takbal al-hasab ja jumma hati li rzuma adukk al-hasab.” 

The youth marveled at the girl’s good sense as at the 
orderliness which he found in the tent. He called again when 
her brother returned from a raid, and made the girl his wife. 

A Bedouin once had three wives. The first, whom he had 
married in his youth, bore him several children; the second 
he had taken to wife two years before; and the third, a bloom- 
ing girl, had been in his tent scarcely two months. Once he 
went to an itinerant merchant for a short rug, katife, and 
brought it home. The women began to quarrel as to which 
of them the rug was bought for. “It belongs to me,” said 
the first one, “to me the mother of his sons.” “I devote myself 
to him day and night. The katife was meant for me,” said the 
second. “He has already tired of both of you,” exclaimed the 
third, “you ought to know that what is old cannot be made 
new again and an enemy will never become an intimate friend, 
al-‘atiz ma jirga: gedid wa-l-adw ma jirga‘ siddiz. 1 am young, 
still new to him; therefore I taste the best to him. He bought 
the katife for me.’ The man listened but held his tongue, 
while the wives went before a judge to decide between them. 
The judge decided that the katife belonged to the third woman. 


CHAPTER VIII 
CHILDREN 


BIRTH AND NAMING OF CHILDREN 


A woman who has had sexual intercourse with a man is 
called a wahama during the thirty days while it is as yet 
unknown whether she has conceived or not. If she has con- 
ceived she is called ndzel or hdmel. For her delivery a Rwala 
woman never sends for a midwife. Kurdi’s wife, for example, 
bore a child while sitting in a Zetab litter on the march and 
never ceased to guide her camel. She cut the navel cord her- 
self, wrapped the child in her dress, dismounted in the new 
camping ground, and carried the baby boy, ‘ajjel, to her tent. 

A woman who has miscarried, ramat, and the fruit of 
whose womb has perished, rma’, is an object of fear. 

A woman after confinement, nefesa, lives just as before 
the delivery, with no change in her diet. 

When a son is born, the father is congratulated by his 
nearest relatives but expresses no particular joy; neither does 
he send out invitations to a meat supper. No animal is sacri- 
ficed or slaughtered at the birth of a boy or girl. 

For seven days after its birth the child is bathed in 
camel’s urine and rubbed with salt. On either the tenth, 
twentieth, or fortieth day wheat is gathered by the female 
relatives of the confined woman, shredded, and then a dinner 
prepared from it in her tent, to which all the women from 
the camp are invited. This festivity is known as the exam- 
ination of the child, tlda‘at al-‘ajjel. The mother goes with the 
child on a visit to all her relatives, a custom called tatli‘a. 
Everybody presents the baby with something, often either a 
young camel or a colt, the gifts remaining its property. 

Its name the child receives from its mother alone, this 
being one of her privileges. Sometimes she selects a name 
without thinking long about it; at other times, again, she 
may be directed by various influences. Thus, for instance, 
Prince an-Nfri’s wife gave birth to a boy when camping near 
the castle of Al Ahejzer — or, as it is called by the Rwala, al- 


243 


244 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Hafagi — and named the boy Hafagi. Another woman was de- 
livered during a heavy rain and she called her little son Matar, 
Rain. Kurdi’s wife bore two girls although she greatly wished 
to have a boy. So she prayed to Allah, and he granted her 
wish some time afterwards; she gave the baby boy the name 
of Ra&a’, meaning “The Granting of Favor.” The wife of “Awde 
al-Kwéébi had a very painful delivery, te‘assarat, and there- 
fore said: “Thou shalt be called ‘Asir, Born in Pain.” Another 
woman, filled with wrath because her husband had just taken 
a second wife, named her son Muriz, Enraging. The wife of 
the slave Hmar abu ‘Awwad received a beating from her 

husband shortly before a son was born to her, and, still being 
angry with him, she called the boy in remembrance of his 
mother’s ill-treatment, Za‘al, Anger. When delivered of a girl 
a little later, she said: “Thy father’s name is Donkey, Hmar, 
so thou shalt be called Cow, Bakara.” There is no beast nor 
plant after which a child cannot be named. 

Up to its seventh year the child is spoken of as warad 
(pl., wurddn), wara‘ (pl., wur'dn), or ‘agi (pl., “agjdn). After 
his seventh year a boy is called ‘ejdl. The name for a dead 
baby is farat (pl., afradt). For these a sacrifice, temima, must 
be brought at the next memorial festival in honor of the 
dead, zahijje. 


CIRCUMCISION CEREMONIES 


The Rwala circumcise their sons between their third and 
seventh years, usually in the season of as-sejf (thus in late 
April or May) on either Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday im- 
mediately before the fifteenth day of the lunar month or 
just after that day. Two days before the circumcision the 
girls from the whole camp come to the tent of the man whose 
son is to be circumcised, decorate the main tent pole with 
ostrich feathers, red kerchiefs, and ribbons, razzow al-msanna, 
and proclaim with joyful cries, zarrut, that a circumcision, 
msanna‘, is being prepared for. After sunset the whole youth 
of both sexes of the camp assemble there, the young men 
forming a semicircle open towards the tent, where a mighty 
fire is burning. An adult girl with her face covered so that 
only her eyes are visible then posts herself between the fire 
and the youths. The hdsi, as this girl is called, holds in her 
right hand a sharp saber. The youths begin to stamp, clap 


CHILDREN 245 


their hands, and rock their bodies to right and left and for- 
ward and backward. Shouting in deep tones: “Look out! look 
out! dahhi dahhi,” they touch the girl with their hands. She 
draws back and defends herself with the saber; the youths 
accelerate their movements, attack the hdési with more pas- 
sion, while she swings the saber still more ardently. The 
saber flashes like lightning, the girl steps aside, gives way, 
and advances; all her movements are silhouetted against the 
glare of the fire behind her; the ground groans under the 
feet of the stamping youths and in their deep voices, hoarse 
with fatigue and lust, they cry: “Dahhi dahhi.’”’? When tired 
they drop down on one knee, the girl follows their example, 
and the fun goes on till the nearly exhausted girl jumps up 
and runs away. Then a rest is taken. Sometimes a young man 
recites a poem, the men and women present exclaiming after 
each verse: “O welcome to thee, welcome to thee! 74 hala bak 
ja hala.” The poem once ended, another girl is put on the 
scene by the host, and the amusement, dahha, starts anew. 
As a rule three or four girls, hasjdn, succeed each other, and 
the dahha ends only at sunrise. On the next night the per- 
formance is repeated. 

On the third day in the morning either the father or 
the nearest relative of the boy to be circumcised brings a 
Sshe-camel to the front of the tent, cuts the veins of her 
forelegs with a saber, and then kills her amid the loud re- 
joicings of the women, jezarruten. Such an animal is called 
the circumcision sacrifice, dbiht al-msanna*%. Her blood soaks 
into the ground, and the meat is cooked in large kettles, the 
boy’s relatives preparing bread or soft boiled wheat, ‘e7s, in 
the meantime. At noon the women carry the bread, the ‘e7§, 
and the meat to the father’s tent, where on this occasion any- 
body may enter and eat his fill. This dinner is called ‘anij7et 
al-msanna'. 

After dinner the father—or, in case he has died, the 
nearest relative — takes on his lap the boy, dressed in black 
on that day. He pretends to show him something, and then 
cuts off his prepuce, rulufteh, with a sharp knife. The boy 
cries with pain, the women rejoice loudly, jezarruten, the 
youths leap on their horses, shoot, and arrange a mock battle, 
trad al-hejl, in front of the tent. When the boy has quieted 
down a little, they wash him, dress him in white, and the 
relatives hand and bring him gifts of all kinds, such as cloth- 


246 RWALA BEDOUINS 


ing, weapons, colts, young camels, etc. These gifts, nehile, 
belong to the boy exclusively. When the mock battle ends the 
men amuse themselves with shooting at a target. This is the 
head of the slaughtered she-camel set up at a considerable 
distance from the host’s tent, from which they shoot. He who 
hits it may take and cook it for himself. 


Ditties Sung at Circumcision Ceremonies 


In the evening the girls form two lines in the space be- 
fore the tent, and a couple of them step inside the lane thus 
made. One without her kerchief and with her hair loosened 
dances, inclining both head and body to right and left, for- 
wards and backwards, but she must not leave her ground. 
To prevent this, the second girl holds her hands during the 
performance. The other girls accompany her contortions with 
a quiet clapping of hands, meanwhile singing ditties called 
hafle, this also being the name of the dance. 


“Asirken ja-hl randdir 

ma beh raga low ragejnah 
w-alli jetardleh al-mahdsir 
dowr al-hawdter bellejah. 


From your husband, O you well dressed ones! 
We can expect nothing despite our hopes, 

And to him who thinks the cost too high 

Why should our favors be granted for nothing? 


A woman fond of dress and of being carried around in 
a litter needs a husband who does not object to the expense 
entailed. If one will not grant all her wishes, she seeks another 
one, more generous. 


Ja raceb al-malha 
kezz al-mecatibi 
w-en dannakat tar‘a 
“ottha-l-mesatbi. 


O thou rider on the black camel! 

Fold again and preserve the letters; 

And if thy camel lowers her head to graze, 
Tap her with thy stick. 


CHILDREN 247 


The maiden longs for a word from her lover, who has 
gone with some traders in camels to Egypt, and urges the 
messenger carrying letters for the chief to hurry. 


Z4UuU min al-ejd w-mezfini 
w-mnasserin ad-dallali 
‘allemi bihom bel-makétini 
w-mrakkezin al-makémi. 


After the holiday they departed, but in the opposite 


Their best clothes donning. [ direction, 
Let me hear of their news, that they have encamped 
And have erected a water hoist. [to stay 


The maiden learns where her lover’s kin have encamped. 

Al-‘ejd is the holiday of az-zgahijje, when a she-camel is 
sacrificed by the Bedouins to every member of their kin who 
has died in the past year. Mezfin means that they have not 
followed the other Arabs in their forward movement but have 
taken the opposite direction. They encamped by a watering 
place and for a long period, hence makatini. The word mektdn 
designates a place where the Bedouins make a prolonged stay 
in summer time; thus katanna ‘ala-l-kdra means “we camped 
a long time in al-Kara.” Makdm is the wooden apparatus for 
raising water, fastened above the edge of a deep well (see my 
Arabia Deserta, Fig. 35, p. 161). Such an apparatus is arranged 
only when the Arabs intend to stay at that particular well for 
some time. On that occasion they take out their best clothes 
and the women dress in their finest, munasserin ad-dallédl. 


Edt ra‘i-s-Sowse 

an-nuri ma hala? howseh 

qa musarreden lar-radi bowseh 
ja hows at-turk 74 howSeh. 


Wish long life to him with the short hair, 
To an-Ntri — Oh, how graceful is he in the ficht, 
He who frees the herds captured by a wretch! 

_ Ah, the fight with the Turks, ah, his fight with them! 


Eid‘ for 74 tawil al-omr. When going to battle every 
rider bares his head. The kerchief rests on his shoulders; 
the weight of the head rope hanging round the neck holds 
it to the body. Sowse means short, unbraided hair on the 


248 RWALA BEDOUINS 


top of the head. As a rule only a tuft of it is left standing, 
the rest being shaven. Musarred (or jifekk) bowSeh, liberates 
his loot. Fighting with the Turks (i. e. with the regular army) 
was difficult for the Bedouins and therefore greatly desired 
by them. 


Jad mnife 7a miznet as-sejf 
ja brikaha jiltazenni 
tel‘ab ‘ala-l-biz bel-kejf 
was “ad low jizalennt. 


O Mnife, O thou rain cloud of the early summer! 

How dazzling its lightning is to me! 

Thou canst play with the fair ones at thy will, 

For I [in thy place] should not care if they grow angry 
with me. 


At the close of April, when summer begins, each rain is 
accompanied by a violent storm by which the atmosphere is 
ereatly refreshed. Mnife, the wife of the head chief, needs 
not envy her female companions, as she excels them in both 
beauty and power. | 


Ja bejt abu nawwaf 
ja minwet al-badi 
w-rwijhom bel-kéz 
habra lel-warddi 
wa-shinahom bel-lél 
tawhi lha menddi 
tehufehen mnife 
7a bint al-agwadi. 
O thou tent of the father of Nawwaf! 
O thou goal desired of the night pilgrim! 
In summer their large water bags are 
As a great rain pond from which water is brought. 
To their dishes at night 
The eriers noisily invite; 
They are prepared by Mnife, 
A daughter of noble ancestors. 


Abu Nawwaf is Prince an-Nari; his wife Mnife is a 
daughter of the late Prince Sattam. Bddi, like sdjer, means 
a traveler by night, or a visitor. By both the men’s and the 


CHILDREN 249 


women’s compartments of the tents blazing fires are kept up, 
attracting the traveler even at a great distance. Rwijhom 
means water bags, each made from half of a camel’s hide 
and holding about 150 liters of water. If there is a scarcity 
of water in the kéz season (midsummer) everybody gets it 
at the chief’s tent. Habra (pl., habdri) are the level spaces of 
various sizes on a vast plain, in which the rain water from 
the higher ground accumulates. Shuinahom are extraordinarily 
large pans with two handles, often as much as a meter and 
a half in diameter, in which supper is brought to the guests 
whom either the chief or his representative invites to sit 
down, calling each by his name. In the dead of night these 
calls can be heard from afar. 


Subjan towb al-mal O youths, a costly garb 

la telbestineh Put not on! 

yistwheleh nawwaf Of that Nawwaf is deserving 
w-hejfi zebuineh Whose caftan is not new, 
elja ga nahadr al-kown When on the day of the fray 
w-jeazzed reduneh. His long shirt sleeves behind 


his neck he ties. 


Towb is the man’s long shirt made of white linen. Towb 
al-mdl is a shirt with decorative stitching around the neck 
and on the breast. The sleeves of this shirt are often as much 
as a meter and a half long and end in a sharp angle. During 
a fight or when the wearer is engaged in some hard task the 
sleeve ends are tied together and thrown behind the neck. 
Zebun is a garb made from variegated fabric and worn over 
the shirt. Nawwaf, as the bravest of all, should also wear 
the best clothes. 


Tabassert. 74 hla-l-hejl 
nawwaf sara-l-ma‘nakizje 
sizdn mesd‘el dardrig 
min tahat ud al-hanizje 
kal eréabi la thafi 
ma zal rasi ‘alije. 
At the glad news rejoice, you riders: 
Nawwaf has bought a mare of the ma‘nakijje breed; 
MeS€a‘el’s calves like the rollers appear 
Under the pole of a curved litter. 


250 RWALA BEDOUINS 


He said: “Enter and nothing fear, 
While on my shoulders my head remains.” 


The women and girls praise Nawwaf and his spouse Me- 
Sa‘el, daughter of Sattam and Turkijje. 

Ma‘nakijje is considered one of the best breeds of horses. 
The good news that a ma‘nakijje mare has been bought signi- 
fies Nawwaf’s wedding with the daughter of the late Prince 
Sattam — that is, with the offspring of the best family. When 
entering a litter the woman must bend and involuntarily show 
the calves of her legs. Dardrig (sing., darrdge) are spindles 
wound full with thread. Al-hanijje signifies a litter of the 
zetab variety, with long curved poles. MeSa‘el may sit tran- 
quilly in her litter. Nawwaf will repulse any hostile attack 
threatening the women during the march. 


Wa-suf Zebdl as-satt 
bujuten tbanna 
nawwaf jad mescaj 
nabri watanna. 
Ah, before the Euphrates I see 
The pitching of tents. 
O Nawwaf, thou appeaser of sorrow! 
We long for our country. 


A few Kwacbe kins revolted against Prince an-Niri, left 
the Rwala, and encamped with the ‘Amarat on the Euphrates. 
Their women and girls sent word to Nawwaf to intercede for 
them with the prince, his father, in order that they might 
return home. 

Watan, territory, is used but seldom; the common ex- 
pression is dire. 


Tasammeu 7d-hla-l-hejl 
flan jetawwel sebdbeh 
ma tul haj7 ‘ala-l-hejl 
at-tars killen jehdbeh. 


Hear ye, O riders! 

So and So, may Allah prolong his youth! 
As long as he shall live and ride horses, 
Any herd will be afraid of him. 


CHILDREN 251 


Jd nawwif nddi zénakom 
salha tahatta’ bénakom 
tiswa saldjel hejlakom. 


O Nawwaf, call for your beauty! 
Salha, who paces among you, 
Is worth whole herds of your mares. 


Salha was a daughter of an-Niari and sister of NawwAf. 


Ja sdlha w-esmat ja nas 
w-hejlec nafelin an-nds 
ahl hadda w-hal nowméds 
w-hal la‘eben ‘ala-l-fréds. 


O Salha, hear, ye people! 

Faith, thy little kin is the most generous of all. 
They know how to attack, how to win fame, 
And how to play when sitting on mares. 


Wa-s-safra bawwal al-réra 
qa nawwaf saat adkdrah. 


Ah, in attack the white mare is first; 
O Nawwaf, far and wide she is remembered! 


La mda hala? der‘dneé sita 
bel-wasdm mu‘asrakati 
ma hala’? haddat ahalha 
w-as-sujuf muhannijati 
ma hala’ towrat gemalha 
bes-serdja mubajjendti. 
Ah, how beautiful thy arms, O Sita, 
With blue tattoo marks! 
How beautiful the noise of the attack of her kin 
And the sabers blood-dyed as if with henna. 
How prettily her camel to its feet is rising 
Adorned with purchased ornaments. 


Sita, a daughter of the late Prince Sattém, was married 
to Prince an-Ntri. Hadda means the noise, during an attack, 
of shooting, war cries, neighing of the horses, and groans of 
the wounded. Muhannijat, dyed with henna, are sabers stained 
with blood. Sita used to ride a strong gray camel when the 


252 : RWALA BEDOUINS 


tribe was migrating. Her litter, Zetab, was ornamented with 
various red blankets bought in the markets. 


Al-askah mda hala’? haz‘ateh 
ja sita terteb wad‘ateh. 


How beautiful the gait of the gray camel! 
It is Sita sewing small shells [of its litter] on a pattern. 


The litter carried by the camel and its halter are or- 
namented with small white seashells, forming little stars, 
squares, and other patterns. With the rolling gait of the 
animal the litter also rocks and the white shells flash with 
a peculiar glitter. 


Al-askah w-en denni ‘atab 
jabri-l-hmejri w-ad-dahab. 


The eray camel which should kneel hops on three legs; 
Perhaps it desires the red blankets and gold trinkets. 


As soon as the slaves had forced the gray camel ridden 
by Sita to kneel and had tied its left leg in order to take off 
the litter more easily, it arose and began to hop on its three 
legs, because it did not wish to be deprived of the red cover- 
ing and fringes interwoven with gold thread. 


Al-awzah jaz‘az al-beddi 
ja sita min zana geddt. 


The white camel tears the cushions supporting the litter; 
O Sita, thou hailest from the kin of my ancestor! 


Sita also used to ride a pure white camel. Beddi is the 
word for the cushions against which the wooden Zetab litter 
rests in the saddle. A spirited camel turns its head back and 
tears the cushions with its teeth. 


Ja sita bint geddéeni 
gedden jenzel as-saka 
w-gedden jentah al-héli. 
O Sita, who hailest on both sides from brave ancestors! 
The one used to camp in the places most dangerous, 
While the other used to throw down the riders with his 
lance. 


CHILDREN 253 


Sita’s mother, Turkijje was the daughter of the head 
chief of the Fed‘an. Sita’s father, Sattam, usually selected a 
place for his camping ground where his clans were exposed 
to the greatest danger. Such a place is called sdka. His wife’s 
father was a hero of renown whom no troop of riders could 
resist. 


Razdlen dassakom A gazelle ran in amongst you 

ma hab And feared not. 

ja bint muhazza’ O thou daughter of him who chopped off 
al-arkab. Heads! > 


Sita was not frightened even when the enemy succeeded 
in entering the camp. She inherited her father’s character. 


Ja sita bintena-r-razne 
cetir al-mdal jasriha 
zelil al-mal wa? hazneh. 


O Sita, our cold-blooded daughter! 
Only a rich man could buy her, 
While a poor one would, alas, grieve vainly for her. 


Sita was both astute and cool-tempered. At times when 
an-Nuri trembled for his life Sita watched over him day and 
night to prevent his being poisoned or assassinated in his own 
tent. Such a woman can be bought only by a rich man. 


Ahal sita jihellin 
sukkara ma jidellin 
“ala-s-sdkat juiagjin 
w-hal sahnen jihottiun. 


Sita’s kinsmen fall upon the enemy as if on sheep for 
Like drunken men, nothing can frighten them; [sacrifice, 
Careless they are of the most dangerous spots, 

And their dishes they constantly fill. 


The warriors act in the battle just as if they were merely 
Slaughtering sheep, jihelliin. Sdkdt are places exposed to the 
direct attack of the enemy and therefore highly dangerous. 
A chief of renown not only ignores this danger but even selects 
localities of that kind in order to avert the danger from his 
people and to destroy the enemy himself. Thus praise is given 


254 RWALA BEDOUINS 


to Sita’s kinsmen for remaining calm in danger and for their 
bravery and generosity, because they put food on the pan, 
sahn, before their guests. 


Ja sita mehzemeé gebri _O Sita, splendid is thy belt, 
‘alejh min ad-dahab Sebri. Which is gilded a span wide. 


The daughters and wives of the powerful chiefs wear over 
their dress, towb, as a rule, a belt of wool or silk interwoven 
with gold or silver threads. 


Gemal sita Saba-l-matla® 
gaal min tabrozeh tenla: 
jamut wlédaha-r-rza. 


Sita’s camel climbed a summit, 

O Allah! grant that she who looks angrily at it may 
lose her color, 

And that her baby boy whom she nurses may die. 


Saba al-matld* means that a camel carrying a pretty litter 
climbed a height; thus the litter projected above the horizon 
and was visible from afar. The Bedouins think that an angry 
envious look can do man even deadly harm, and, therefore, that 
a woman who looks at Sita’s camel in that manner should be 
punished by Allah. Tenld* means a woman who grows extremely 
thin and loses her healthy color. A wléd, baby boy, is preferred 
by a mother to a girl, because he adds and will yet add to 
the esteem she enjoys in the tent. In losing him, her life’s 
happiness is often lost. She is then divorced by her husband 
and may have to wait long before finding another, owing to 
the fear that an evil spirit is after her. 


Jéa mohra dat Oh, that little mare, which was being led 
min bén nazléni Between the two camps! 

kawwadha hdled She was led by Haled, 

la j4 ba‘ad ‘éni. Oh, that I may look long at him! 


Mohra means in this case the young wife of Haled, the 
son of the late Prince Sattam; her relatives were camping 
not far off on the wedding day. 


Ja bakraten horra 
ja masjaha zafzaf 


CHILDREN 255 


rakkabaha mamduh 
jaklot w-la jahaf 
tesell selil al-ma’ 
tahtom ‘ala-l-aslaf 
jarmi w-la jehti 
jak‘od w-la jensaf. 
Oh, that noble young she-camel, 
How swift her gait! 
She is ridden by Mamdth, 
Who strikes down all in front of him and knows no fear. 
The she-camel as quickly as running water vanishes, 
Running ahead of the first troop, 
While he shoots, never missing, 
And bends down so that he cannot be seen. 


Mamdth was the youngest and most daring son of Prince 
Sattam. In a fight no enemy could stand against him. The 
enemy flees, and Mamdth strikes him a blow from behind, so 
that he falls*on the neck of his animal. Jaklot means either 
to bend or to knock forward a saddle or rider. Selél al-ma’ is 
a wild flood which dashes down suddenly and disappears as 
quickly. Many a valley — or rather channel — is as much as 
two hundred kilometers long and dry for years. If copious 
rain of long duration falls, the waters rush with lightning 
speed through the channel, surprise the Bedouins who happen 
to be camping at its lower end, and as quickly vanish again. 
Such a flood is not a sejl, brook or stream, but a selil, a tem- 
porary torrent. Mamdth’s she-camel appears as unexpectedly, 
but just as speedily is gone owing to her great endurance 
in running. Salaf is a troop of warriors riding at the head of 
a migrating tribe. Mamdth’s she-camel constantly runs ahead 
of the salaf. Jak‘od signifies that Mamdth, a youngster still, 
bends down at every shot in order to take better aim; he 
thus cannot be seen behind the neck of his animal. In 1909 
he was only eighteen years of age. 


RAISING OF CHILDREN 


Until their seventh year both boys and girls remain with 
their mother, going to their father only for an occasional 
talk. If their mother is not divorced by their father, they 
live in the women’s compartment and help with the lighter 


256 RWALA BEDOUINS 


work. If they deserve it they are spanked with a stick, not 
only by their mother or father, but by the slaves both male 
and female. The Rwala believe that the rod originated in 
Paradise, al-‘asa agharat min al-genna, and that it also leads 
man back to it. The older boys attend to the mares, guard 
them on the pasture grounds, take them to water, and ride 
on them while migrating; they also bring fuel to the men’s 
quarters, serve the guests with water, etc. They squat with 
the men around the fire listening to the conversation and learn 
also to recite poems and songs, in this manner acquainting 
themselves with all public affairs. Boys learn to shoot before 
they are fourteen and take part in at least one raid before 
they are sixteen. At this period the father would not think 
of punishing the disobedience of his son simply with a stick 
but uses a saber or a dagger instead. By cutting or stabbing 
them the father not merely punishes the boys but hardens 
them for their future life. In the opinion of the Bedouins the 
son who disobeys is guilty of rebellion, for which the proper 
punishment is the saber, as-sejf lemin ‘asa’. 


BOYS’ GAMES 


The boys are never idle. When they are not helping their 
parents, they play. Some of their games are dangerous; all, 
however, tend to harden them and sharpen their faculties. 

In playing ramha two lines are formed. The members 
of each side, holding their companions by the hand, take 
position and advance against the other side, kicking their 
opponents till one whole side rolls down, jetardmahtn. Many 
leave the game with their bellies black and blue, but will stand 
up as long as they can bear the pain. 

A very dangerous game is Sara. The boys bring their slings, 
miézla® (pl., mazali*), gather a supply of pebbles, separate into 
two hostile groups, and, declaring war on each other, throw 
stones from their slings, jetasadrun. Blood always flows. Often 
a boy loses an eye, gets a broken head or a split bone in his 
hand or leg, or even falls down dead; and yet the parents 
never forbid the game. For a dead boy the kin of the player 
who killed him must pay the blood price; for other serious 
hurts half of that. If the guilty party cannot be found, the 
relatives of all the boys participating in the game must pay, 
compensation of. this kind being called medda’ rSejje. 


CHILDREN 257 


Ma‘kala, another game, is not so dangerous. The boy takes 
off his kerchief, ties a knot in the middle of it, first putting 
a round pebble into it, posts himself at the goal, mid, and 
then throws the knotted kerchief to his comrades who are 
waiting about fifty paces away. The boy who catches it beats 
the others with the knot while they run to the goal. Then, 
returning to his place, he throws the kerchief among the boys, 
who shout at him: “Give the kerchief to him who gave it to 
thee, ‘atha min ‘atdkiha,’ and the game starts over again. 
Here also many a bump on the head or bloody bruise on the 
body is carried home from the game. 

At night the boys play what is called mudmah sara’. They 
take a peg sharpened at both ends, Szdz, of the kind used 
to fasten the back wall of the tent to the roof. One of the 
boys takes his stand at the goal, mid, and throws the peg 
to his playmates posted about twenty paces from him. The 
boy who catches it cries: “Mudmah sara’, mudmah goes with 
me,” and runs straight for the goal. The others throw them- 
selves on him, trying to get hold of the peg and shouting: 
“I am the father of strength, I shall crush thee, ab-al-“arejé 
w-“areé.” The assailed boy defends himself as best he can, 
stabbing with the peg, kicking, and biting, so that he may 
reach the goal with the peg in his possession. Most of the 
Scars resulting from this game are, of course, found on the 
clothes of the players. 

When hdgije is played, a pit is dug on a level plot of 
ground, and inside it a smaller but deeper pit. On the edge 
of the larger pit a stone ball, hdgije, is laid; and a similar 
ball, sté, only some sizes larger, is thrown from the goal at 
the first ball so as to knock it down into the large pit where 
it must roll into the smaller one. When all have had their 
turn, the boys who have succeeded in putting the ball in its 
place mount the backs of their less fortunate comrades, who 
must carry them like horses from the pit to the goal. That 
the riders seldom forget to kick and cuff their horses to get 
more speed out of them hardly needs to be added. 

In the game of hejl w-hejl riders and horses are chosen 
by drawing lots. The riders take their places, the horses carry- 
ing them to the goal. There the horses cry: “Al-hejl aklab,” 
roll over to one side and then sit on the backs of their riders. 

For the game of takka every boy arms himself with a 
large tent peg. The boy chosen by lot lays a small sharp peg, 


258 | RWALA BEDOUINS 


Szdz, on the highest stone near by, taps it with his large peg 
enough to make it fly up a little, and when in the air gives 
it a good blow so as to make it fly to the other players who 
wait at a distance of about thirty or forty paces. Every one’ 
of them tries to hit the flying sharp peg with his own peg in 
order to send it back. As long as no one succeeds, the peg 
is returned to the first boy, who continues to bat it until one 
of his comrades finally strikes it and takes his place. When 
striking at the 8zdz peg the head or shoulders of a player 
often come in contact with it, with consequences easy to 
imagine. 

Many a kerchief is torn to ribbons in the game called 
dehdwa. One boy rolls a large stone down a slightly inclined 
plane, while the others try to stop it, ‘akasha, with their 
kerchiefs. The one succeeding in this is entitled to roll it, 
jedahdiha. 

‘Aké ‘akab is a game in which all the boys run for the goal, 
about a hundred paces away. He who reaches it first shouts: 
“<aké ‘akab,” a command for the others to turn and run back 
to the starting point. The first boy to reach it now calls out 
the same words, “<aké ‘akab,” and flies with the others to the 
goal again. This is repeated until all are exhausted. Finally 
the one to reach the goal first exclaims: “A pile of wood, 
korkob hasab,” and sinks to the ground; the others follow his 
example, lie still for a while, but then begin to kick and strike 
out all around regardless of whom they hit. 


DITTIES SUNG BY GIRLS 


The girls have no such games. Occasionally at night they 
form two choirs and alternately sing, 7esemran, various ditties 
called summejr: 


Tafawwelu bel-faza For a good sign take a great plain, 


ja-lli talab fal O all ye who ask me for a good sign! 
fali rséden w-ar-rased Fortunate is my sign, for luck 
tajjeb al-fali. Is the best of all signs ye may want. 


When the women and girls are about to start their swm- 
mejr, the men and youths gather not far off. Before a raid 
or any act of importance every man observes the first word 
uttered by the woman or girl dear to him. That word they 


CHILDREN 259 


take to be their sign or omen, fal, and try to guess from it 
whether their enterprise will meet with success or not. Know- 
ing this the girls begin with the ditty quoted above. A iar 
or vast plain where the Bedouin cannot be ambushed, is to 
him a good sign. Better than any sign, however, is the luck 
itself or the successful result. 


Enhowdert les-summejr 
w-az-zemel bel-misrah 
min hw jehedd at-tejr 
maluk klegbeh rah 
jelfi ‘ala marteh 

ja nigmet al-misbah 
erhi trejf as-sejr 

Zifi “ala-l-mebtah. 


Gather for the summeyr, 

For the pack camels are out in the pasture. 

Who is that training the hunting falcon? 

The falcon to whom his heart clung disappeared and 
Will soon reach its wife. 

O morning star! 

Loosen the end of thy leather belt 

And stand leaning against the long litter pole. 


The girls and women invite everybody to their entertain- 
ment, summejr, as it is unnecessary to get up so early next 
morning, since the chief’s pack camels are not yet back from 
the pasture. They hear some.one training his hunting falcon 
and later pity him, because the falcon has flown away and 
returned to its wife. When about to move they call out to 
the prettiest woman of the camp to stand up in her litter 
and shed light all around her like the morning star. 

The word enhowderu, gather down, come down together, 
is used because the summejr is always held in a low piece 
of ground protected against the wind. E'rhi trejf as-sejr means 
“loosen the end of thy leather belt.” Every woman wears a 
belt of small leather strips on her bare body. On entering 
a litter she loosens this belt in order not to be incommoded 
by it on the journey. Zifi, stand leaning, for Zift. 


Jad rabbi 7a hdlez al-lejl 
hat al-matar min sahdbeh 


260 RWALA BEDOUINS 


ma zal nawwaf ‘ala-l-hejl 
w-al-mal killen jahabeh 
jistavhel al-wared w-al-hejl 
w-an-nadel jakmah Sebabeh. 


O my Lord! O creator of the night! 

Let us have rain from thy clouds, 

Nawwaf goes out on raids constantly 

And all the property of the enemy fears him. 

Of both rose and cardamom he is worthy, 

And the overcautious only hold back his youthful courage. 


Al-wared means the fragrance of roses as well as the rose 
itself and the love of women. Hejl, cardamom, is added to 
coffee, which thus prepared is to be served to none but heroes. 
Nadel, cowards, vile ones, signifies here the older, more cau- 
tious chiefs, who with Prince an-Niri at their head would not 
allow Nawwaf and his youths incessantly to raid even hostile 
tribes. They feared revenge. 


Jad rabbi 74 mawwel 
Cawwel ‘ala-helna 
nabni bujut al-‘ezz 
nanzel mandzelna 
narhal ‘an had-dire 
w-an wastha gilna 
jislam abu nawwaf 
jarhal w-jenazzelna. 


O my Lord! O thou who returnest! 

Lead us back to our kin, 

Where we may pitch our tents as is seemly 

And encamp on our own grounds. 

We shall move away from this region 

Forever to disappear from its midst. 

Hail to the father of Nawwaf! 

Would that he may move and allot to us new camps. 


If the pastures in the territories owned by them do not 
suffice for their needs, while the territories in dispute abound 
in plenty, rabi*, the Rwala march as a rule to some of their 
tributary settlements in the inner desert, unload their supplies, 
litters, and large tents, usually leave the women, children and 
aged persons there, and move with their herds to the disputed 


CHILDREN 261 


territory for at least one month of grazing. There they live 
in small tents, many even in the open; they cook their own 
meals or let one woman or a female slave do the cooking for 
several tents, and they always camp in the midst of their 
herds, ready for defense by day or night. The women and 
girls who have accompanied them soon tire of this mode of 
life, as is expressed in our song. 

Bujit al-‘ezz are the complete tents required by the social 
standing of the kin owning them. Gdlow means “they dis- 
appeared from this territory”; engdl al-rejm, “the fog van- 
ished, dissolved.” 


Ja rabbi 7a mal 
‘atni faza bali 

fowk awzahen ‘ali 
ma waset hijjani 
w-gowzen ‘ala bali 
wa-zmejqjem hamrani. 


O Lord! O my all! 

Give me a clear mind, 

(Grant) that I may ride a tall white camel 
In the midst of my kin. 

A husband give me to my taste 

And a nose ring of gold. 


Faza bali is a clear mind, a good conscience, a free spirit 
oppressed by nothing. It is the wish of every girl or woman 
to ride on the march in a fancy litter on a pure white camel. 
Animals of this hue are the pride of both the tribe and the 
family, the red ornaments hung about them being especially 
conspicuous. In the midst of her kinsfolk the girl is absolutely 
safe. The nose ring is now worn by only a few Rwala women. 


Ja raceben humejla‘ 

rath ma jumi ‘asah 

ja min dakar swejhebi 

ja dajereh ja min ‘lakah 
er‘eh ma dwejden ‘azib 
wa-mzerfelen jamm al-fela’ 
wa’ ld lakejt illa-l-hala 
w-ad-dib gelldni ‘awdah. 


262 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Oh, she who often rides a docile camel, 

She gives me no sign with her stick! 

Who is here that still remembers my sweet friend? 
Who has looked for, who has found her? 

See, she stays: far beyond the camp with a small herd; 
To that pasture I hastened at a trot. 

Ah, but I found only a desert, 

And the howling of wolves made me flee. 


Not finding his sweetheart on the new camping grounds, 
the lover inquires and searches for her. She used to ride in 
a litter on a humejla‘, docile camel of low stature, and to 
signal to her lover with a stick with which she guided her 
animal. A dwejd is a small herd owned by one family. When 
the son who usually cares for the herd goes out on a raid 
the herd falls to the care of the daughter. A ‘azib is a pasture 
at such a distance from the camp that the camels must spend 
at least three or four nights away and do not come to water 
or to the camp till the fifth day. Mzerfel, like dowmal, 
signifies the fast trot of a camel. Fela is a pasture with 
good grass and perennials. 


Siddti min az-zemel ‘aljan 
Sél al-lahad mda jedanthi 
w-al-hokm hokm eben Sa‘lan 
makriden ja-lli teragihi. 


Saddle the pack camels called ‘Aljan, 

Who will not accept a galling load. 

As for the command, the command belongs to Eben 
Crushed be he who would oppose him! [Sa‘lan; 


Zemel is the name given to the pack camels, always 
males, which carry the tent, supplies, and whole equipment 
of the chief. In the war cry of the Rwala all the herds are 
called ‘Alja’, which is here applied to the camels in the word 
‘Aljan. Lahda (pl., luhvid) are the callous spots or blisters on 
the camel’s back and flanks caused by the heavy, unequally 
distributed load or by uneven saddles whether for freight, he- 
dage, or for riding, Sddd. If these callous spots disappear, well 
and good; if they become blisters and open, suppurating sores, 
dabra (pl., dabar), are the consequence. The camels owned by 
the Rwala will not bear packs that hurt them, and the ruling 
Eben Sa‘lan kin will not bear opposition. 


CHILDREN 263 


Jad rabsaten binjat 

Siddat ‘ardwiha 

w-rawwahat zerfat 

jerga-l-asa biha 

tehufaha mnife 

jefrah bitartha. 
Oh, the men’s compartment, it was put up 
And its rope ends stretched taut. 
For their night’s rest the fleet-footed mares returned, 
And each rider hopes to get his supper in the tent. 
It is being prepared by Mnife, 
The thought of whom makes them all glad. 


Rab‘a is the men’s compartment in the tent of a chief ; 
also, the whole tent. ‘Ardwi are loops, or more properly the 
single bow knots of the tent ropes, which can be loosened 
or tightened according to the strength of the wind. Rawwahat 
zerfat are the slaves, servants, and other youths, who ride out 
on horseback in the evening to defend the returning herds 
against a possible attack. The word rawwah always implies 
a night’s lodging. 


Jad hajqi 7a ‘azweten li 
tarthakom la jazami 
w-silahakom mustagilli 
jaksom salib al-‘azdmi 
‘aduwwakom mustamelli 
‘ajjet “ujguneh tandmi. 
Little brother of mine, of the same descent ag ie 
One thrown from his horse by thee suffers not long, 
For renowned are thy arms, 
Which cut in twain the backbones. 
Thine enemy is shaken with fright, 
And his eye refuses to close in sleep. 


The maiden praises the bravery of her lover, who is closely 
related to her. The words ‘azweten li, if spoken quickly, sound 
like ‘azwet elli, because the en tends to double the following 
syllable, li. “‘Azwe denotes kinship on the father’s side. Min 
ejn jacza? flan means “from whom does he hail, to what kin 
does So-and-So belong?” “Ja‘za? min 4l flan, he hails from 
Such-and-such a kin.” Tarih signifies a warrior rolling on the 
ground, thus thrown from his saddle. 


264 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Jad hajji ja mali 
waradk li senjan 

Ia hajji-bri-mari 
bilammat al-‘orban 
fowk askahen ‘ali 
nowfen ‘ala-l-za'dan 
ummeh ‘ate7bizje 
w-abuh min al-‘adwan 
w-alajefeh hagme 
sowden cema-l-rorban. 


O little brother of mine! O my all! 

Both thy mother and thy sister hate me. 

O little brother of mine! I would fain show my bravery 
In a throng of Arabs 

On a tall ash-gray, 

Surpassing the stud camels, 

Whose mother hails from the ‘Atejbe 

And father from the ‘Adwan, 

And to whom is united a herd 

Of she-camels black as the raven. 


The maiden wishes to accompany her Arabs into the 
fiercest fighting, hoping thus to gain the good will of her 
lover’s mother and sisters. 

Wardk, behind thee, here signifies female relatives. In 
the part of the tent reserved for the men the male members 
of the family sit with their backs to the wall which divides 
them from the women’s compartment. Anyone who has trans- 
actions with the men takes a seat facing them and if he 
wishes to mention the female members of the family says 
briefly: “Behind thee, behind you.” Lammat al-‘orbdn._ means 
“the Arabs will assemble (or flock together) to repel a hostile 
attack.” The ‘Atejbe camp east of al-Medina and Mecca; the 
‘“Adwan to the southeast of them. In Ne&d the predominating 
color of the camels is black, amlah. 


Jad rabbi tsa‘efni 
‘ala kill ma-rid 
fowk awzahen “ali 
bzén al-ma‘aliz 
wa-rlejjemen jatni 
elja jabsat ar-riz 


CHILDREN 265 


safra suhubijje 
bikarm al-walid. 


O my Lord! Oh, mayest thou help me 

To all that I desire: 

I fain would sit on a tall white camel 

In a fancy litter, 

And with me a young hero who would protect me 
At such time when my spittle dries up; 

A young hero on a white mare with a long tail, 
Of noble breed. 


Zén al-maaliz is a fancifully ornamented Zetab litter, 
fastened on a tall white camel. Ruldm signifies a young but 
valiant man. The saliva dries up from fear when the enemy 
falls upon the moving clan and tries to rob the belle of both 
the camel and the fancy litter. It is then that she needs a 
brave defender. 


Jad sema’? rabbana O the name of our Lord! 

bidardk nederreg Shielded by thee we wish to walk. 
natlobak tulat al- Grant us, pray, that as long as we live 
‘omr ma nefterez. We may not part. 


The sweetheart will not part from her beloved. 


iden bara riden 
suhben darag maha 
jalfi ‘ala sowkeh 
w-helw lama’ha 
ja‘gibeh bez-zalma 
mlaaz tandj@ ha. 


A lover longs for a sweetheart 
As for clouds which give rain. 
When he comes to his darling 
With lips, ah! so sweet, 

He is dazzled in the darkness 

By clinging to her teeth. 


Ja marhaba ja marhaba 
betwéres al-zible lefa’ 
w-elja lefa gdna-l-haja. 


266 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Hail, hail to thee, 
O little pilgrim! who didst arrive from the south, 
And when he came rain too arrived. 


Twérez al-zible is the south wind, which is usually fol- 
lowed by rain. 


Jad twéres al-zible O pilgrim from the south! 

‘ajjent hajjani Hast thou not seen my kinsfolk? 
w-alli wara bosra They are wont to camp beyond Bosra 
w-alli bhawrdnm. And in the Hawran. 


The south wind is besought to bring rain also to the 
territory northwest of Bosra and the whole country around 
the Hawran so that the herds of the girl’s kin may find good 
pasture when they encamp there. 


CM a Bra) aad BAT Sd De 
STRANGERS IN THE CAMP 


NEIGHBORS OR KUSARA’ 


In every Rwala camp there lives a member of another tribe 
who has left his kin for some reason and who, for a time at 
least, desires to make his home in a different territory. Such 
a stranger generally comes to an agreement with some Rwejli 
that they will be neighbors, kusara (sing., kasir), and as such 
will protect each other. A Rwejli cannot be a kasir to another 
Rwejli, but may have for a neighbor a member of some other 
“Aneze tribe, whether friendly or hostile. 

The Rwejli protects his kasir against the Rwala and the 
kasir does the same for the Rwejli against his own people. 
A kasir, a guest, zejf, and a traveling companion, hawi, all 
of whom enjoy special privileges, are not subject to the or- 
dinary regulations of the tribe, ld jem8tin al-hakk. Their stick 
has as much force as another Bedouin’s saber, ‘asdhom sej7f. 
The kasir is treated as a man possessed of power, ‘aziz, and 
justice is always done to him, hakkeh hdsel. Even in cases where 
a Rwejli comes in conflict with a neighbor from elsewhere, the 
latter’s Rwejli neighbor obtains, by force if necessary, a fair 
decision for him, or, as the saying is: “With a drawn saber 
and a swaying [balance of] justice, bes-sejf at-tdajel w-al-hakk 
al-majel.”’ 

When a Rwejli has a claim against a kasir, he may not 
make his demand himself but must put it in the hands of 
the stranger’s Rwejli kasir. If the claim dates back to the 
time before the stranger became the latter’s neighbor, the 
usual answer is: “And why didst thou not seek thy rights 
before he was my neighbor? If thou couldst wait till today, 
wait now till he is my neighbor no more.” A Rwejli may not 
sue a kasir. Yet should he do so and the judge, ignorant that 
the defendant is a kasir, decide against him, the judgment 
never becomes valid. The Rwejli neighbor will say to the 
plaintiff: “What art thou doing? I am thy opponent, ana 
zedimak lat-talajeb, not my kasir. Sue me, but my neighbor 
thou hadst better leave in peace!’ 

267 


268 RWALA BEDOUINS 


If anything is stolen from a stranger kasir by a Rwejli, 
he reports it at once to his native kasir, who goes to the 
guilty person and speaks thus: “Doest thou not see that A 
is my kasir and as dear to me as my own kin and all my 
tribesmen in this camp? kasiri bén al-andja w-at-tenaja. Why 
didst thou take it from him?” And, seizing the stolen object, 
by force if necessary, he returns it to his kasir. 

Should a Rwejli assault the woman of a stranger kasir 
in her tent, she shouts for the native kasir to come to her 
assistance, which he is bound to do. If he kills the assaulter 
in his kasir’s tent he not only is not exposed to the blood 
vengeance, but the murdered man’s kin, or, if he was not 
killed, the culprit himself, must pay the blood price for having 
insulted the tent of a neighbor. 

But if the stranger kasir kills a Rwejli he hastens to his 
native kasir’s tent with the entreaty: “Help me escape! haz- 
zemni.” The latter instantly summons his kin, ahl: “I want 
to help my neighbor to escape,” and they all must support 
him in this. Should the stranger kasiv express his willingness 
to pay the blood price, his native kastr protects him until all 
is settled. 

When a Rwala camp is attacked by the enemy and among 
other things the stranger kasir’s camels or mare are captured, 
it is the duty of his native kasir to return to his stranger 
neighbor all that was stolen from him out of the booty taken 
by the Rwala in their next successful raid. The reward given 
to the raider is a she-camel for a mare and two megidij7at 
($1.80) for a she-camel. 

In the same way the native neighbor is protected by the 
stranger kasir against the latter’s own tribe. Only when both 
tribes declare war on each other, in the course of which the 
stranger’s property is captured, is the native kastr absolved 
from helping him, unless he has made a prior agreement to 
do so. In this case he declares in the chief’s tent: _ 

“OQ you Rwala all! be my witnesses; thou too, Eben Sa‘lan! 
I and my neighbor here have bound ourselves by an agreement 
to protect each other in any event. His tribesmen will not 
eat from my property and I shall not eat from theirs. J@ rwala 
eshadai w-eshad jd-ben Sa‘lan tardni macajifen kasiri flan al- 
fléni enni hom mé jékolin halaéli w-ana ma dkol haldlhom.” 
The same declaration is made by the stranger kasir either in 
person or by a message in writing in the tent of the chief 


STRANGERS IN THE CAMP 269 


of his tribe. If then his tribesmen steal anything from his 
native kasir they must return it, and vice versa. 

When a member of a hostile tribe is hired by a Rwejli 
to herd his camels and the herd entrusted to his care is 
attacked by his tribesmen, he is allowed by the raiders to 
keep for the Rwejli three she-camels, one for riding and two 
for milking, ka‘ada w-mendjeheh or ruktiba w-haliba. 


WANDERING PETTY MERCHANTS OR KUBEJSAT 


In almost every camp there lives a wandering merchant 
called a Kubejsi (pl.. Kubejsat), although he does not always 
hail from the settlement of al-Kubejsa, near Hit on the right 
bank of the middle Euphrates. He comes with one or two 
camels laden with his goods, quarters himself as a guest with 
a Bedouin, pitches beside the black tent of his host his round 
white tent, hejme, and begins to sell cheap kerchiefs, men’s 
shirts, material for women’s shirts, shoes, and numerous other 
articles of clothing, bzd‘, and also tobacco, coffee, hejl (carda- 
mom), and some drugs. He pays the owner of the tent where 
he boards with cloth enough to make one suit. The chief gets 
nothing at all. 

Few Bedouins buy for cash, but nearly all buy on credit, 
paying 25 per cent interest in five months. The creditor, daj7dn, 
presses his debtor, madjitin, all the time to pay what he owes 
him. He seizes his camels and often even his mare so as not to 
lose anything; for no Bedouin would ever pay if not compelled 
to do so; yet there are times when he, too, finds constant 
dunning unbearable. It is said: 


Ma hamm illa hamm ad-dén 
w-la waga‘ illa waga‘ al-‘én. 


Nothing causes more torment. than a debt, 
And nothing greater pain than the eye. 


The interest, fadjez, on borrowed money must be paid at 
once in cash. For instance, on borrowing 10 megidijjat ($9.00), 
2*/, megidijjat interest is paid for a year in advance and the 
borrower has to declare that he has borrowed 12'/, megi- 
dijjat, when as a matter of fact all that is left to him is 
7'/, megidijjat. Both the debt and interest must be paid at the 


270 RWALA BEDOUINS 


time when camel markets are held, namely in July or August, 
when the Bedouins camping in the tilled country sell their 
camels, wakt al-mowsem. Every debtor brings his bondsman, 
who declares in the presence of the creditor that so much is 
owed and that the principal together with the interest, marbah, 
will be paid at a certain stated date. Should the Kubejsi in 
the meantime die, his host, mu‘azzeb, collects the amounts due 
to him and hands them over to his heirs. Debts contracted 
with the Kubejsat, the Bedouins pay regularly enough, mainly 
because they fear that otherwise no merchants would come 
to them. 

When the Rwala camp in a settled region, some of the big 
merchants send messengers to the prince to inquire whether he 
will allow them to come to his camp with goods to sell. If 
the messengers receive the prince’s assurance that he will take 
them under his protection, bwagh as-Sejh, the wholesaler loses 
no time in dispatching his employees to the camp, and before 
long from fifty to seventy white tents, hijam, will be seen in the 
prince’s camp. In these everything is sold that the Bedouin’s 
heart desires. For each of these tents one new pack saddle, 
hedage, and one rotol (2.56 kilograms) of green coffee are 
delivered to the prince as his due. Their stay in the camp 
terminates about the middle of August, for at the end of 
that month the Rwala usually return to the inner desert. 

In the settled territory many merchants take camels in 
exchange for their wares, thus enabling the Bedouins to provide 
themselves with everything they need or desire. The sons of 
the desert are like children in this respect, wanting all they 
see or whatever takes their fancy and little caring whether 
they really need it or not. They buy all sorts of expensive 
things, often toys, which they soon spoil and then simply 
throw away as useless. As long as they have camels, or at 
least the money received for them, they pay cash; when this 
is gone, they either borrow money or buy on credit without 
worrying when or if ever the debt will be paid. It is a common 
saying in the desert: “Debt eats away the profit of him who 
borrows, ad-dén kattd’ rizz al-mezbel.” 


POEMS RELATING TO KUSARA’ AND KUBEJSAT 


There are frequent references to both the stranger kasir 
and the merchant in Bedouin poems. 


STRANGERS IN THE CAMP 


. Allah w-ma‘ hada lek allah lena kdr 


‘an garna ma katt nahfi-t-tarife 


node leh an-nefes al-Zwijje zacife 


do. nabrih elja baddal dar bidjar 
w-kill min begirdneh je‘edd al-wasife 

. ahaden legirdneh bahatri w-nawwér 
w-ahaden legirdneh safadten mahife. 


1. Allah — and yet, thine is Allah, ours the labor. 
From our neighbor we never may hide our dainties. 


. narfa hddmeh rafwat al-‘ess bel-rdr 


271 


2. We shall make level what he has torn down, as the nest 
in a rocky wall is made level; 
Even if our temper be stubborn, with him we always 
behave mildly, 


3. Hoping that, when he leaves our camp for another, 


To all his neighbors he will tell of our friendly services. 
4, One proves to be to his neighbors a useful and fair flower, 


Another to his neighbors a barren, flat rock. 


The poet is unknown. The reciters were Hmar abu ‘Awwad 
and Mindil al-Kati. The Bedouin describes his relations with 
his stranger neighbor. 

Verse 1. He reproaches his neighbor with something, but 
admits that the neighbor is under Allah’s protection, while 
to care for him is his own duty. Tarife is a delicacy like 
barira, a rare tasty dish. 2. Rar is a steep inaccessible slope or 
precipice with numerous crevices and cavities in which birds 
of prey nest. To prevent their young from falling out, the 
parent birds level the floor of the nest with their beaks and 
then build a stout wall of twigs and bones. 4. Bahatri is Ero- 
dium cicutarium, L. 


Lis 


2 


Hannejt ani bil-lejl diéen 71a 

la wa? hanijjak bet-tesdwit ja dié 
ja wanneti wannet keris al-afai 
jeszah min summ al-hajdja swahig 


. w-hali alli cannaha hdl sav 


holli ‘ala darb al-hatar w-ad-dwarig 


. ‘ala ‘asiri ‘akseteh wakm ba% 


AV 


wa-msawwereh fattadh bab as-sebabi 


. semijeha-lli ‘aligzen birtifa% 


ja “arefin al-kaf min hw semi dié 


tz 


1. 


AWE: 


ing 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


6. ‘azidaha-lli ma‘ awwal al-mal ra% 
w-la sirtas illa bir-rijdz as-swahiz 

7. halla mtahi lil-ranam w-ar-rgar 
hadb ag-zuhir ndzelin al-mesabig 

8. mitl an-nsir bras habra mezar 
w-ani min alli kafwahom kd‘eden hic 

9. maé-ni ma gajjabt al-fowd w-la-ni brai 
w-enkez ma‘ al-warddn la“dbet as-sié 

10. mar ja-llah ja-ll ‘aligen birtifar 
tefreg limin hw kasim ‘ala-z-ziz 

11. mdé-kwa akim wékefen ‘ala kra% 
w-hac-l-mahlik w-arzgi-l-mahaliz. 


. To a cock crowing at night I wished health; 


In truth, may thy song serve thy health, O cock! 


. This is my lament, as of one bitten by an adder, 


Whose veins from the snake poison ache. 


. My lot is like that of a courier on a camel, 


Deserted on a road of peril and death, 


. For my sweetheart with plaits a fathom long 


Is adorned by him who opens all gates. 


. Her name is like that which is high and slender — 


O ye who read tracks, what is her name? 


. Her betrothed, who went with the first herd as its herdsman, 


Pasturing it in level spaces covered with juicy grass only, 


. Has been left by the drivers of sheep, goats, and pack 


Which carry on bent backs conical ornaments, [camels 


. Like vultures resting their tails against the bank of a 


rain pond; 
And I am he who sits here far behind them. 


. | go neither with the food carriers nor with the herdsmen 


But consort only with babes playing in the mud. 

Yet thou, O Allah! who art enthroned high above the earth 
Wilt grant success to him whose lot is to suffer. 

For I lack the strength to stand on my legs 

And speak as a human being and yearn for human beings. 


The poet was Jisef eben Mgejd. His occupation was driv- 
sheep and goats as well as pack camels carrying Persian 


fabrics from Irak to Syria. Once, while on a trip through north- 
western Palmyrena, he became seriously ill and had to stay in 
the tent of a Bedouin of the tribe of al-Hsene, subject to Eben 
Melhem. His comrades continued their journey, leaving him 


STRANGERS IN THE CAMP 273 


behind. Deserted and tortured with pain, he ‘composed this 
poem, which was recited to me by Blejhan eben Mesreb. 
Verse 1.‘A‘a’ signifies the sound of a crowing cock. 2. Jes- 
gant rasi is the same as jowga‘ani rdsi, my head is aching. 
Swahig are the paths by which poison is spread; hence veins 
or arteries. 3. Sd‘ here means a messenger mounted on a camel 
traversing alone the desert between Damascus and Hit. 4. Bab 
as-Sebabié is the gate of a walled-in market place on which 
the windows of the selling booths open. Allah grants or takes 
away the merchants’ profits — he therefore opens the gate of 
their market place and adorns the poet’s sweetheart with 
beauty. 5. ‘Arefin al-kaf are men expert in reading tracks, 
whether of men or animals, and in telling how old they are 
and whether made by camels from the Nefiid or the Harra. 
The name of the beloved maiden was Rumha, Spear. 7. Jathi or 
jutahhi means that he calls for the sheep or goats with the 
words ethi, tha’. Mesdbig, as was explained to me, are the 
conical ornaments sometimes half a meter high forming the 
back part of the pack saddle. When the backs of the pack 
camels traversing a vast plain project above the horizon, these 
ornaments on a clear night resemble vultures standing upright. 


1. Jad raéeben hamra min al-hegen mehddb 
gedijjeten kat al-fejafi menéha 
2. 9a tekel rabda ‘dnekat rds merkab 
cann ag-zwari tenhasha ma* kaféha 
3. elja twannat bass howza bimesdb 
ma danak ar-rakka: jirka’ haféha 
4. merba‘aha bimfarra’ al-heri w-as-swab 
eljama tekamel sahmha bikaréha 
dD. fowkha rulamen ma jehasseb lil-agndb 
sakkar bid al-legadwi geddha 
6. raéebtaha min dirt as-sém gallab 
abi ‘ala-lli tammanha w-estardha 
7. telfi labu salfiz zedden lil-agnab 
‘awk ar-rudim alli ttarrak derdha 
8. sukkar ‘asal helwen ‘ala-l-cabed low déb 
semmen ‘ala éabd al-ma‘ddi sakéha 
9. saba® as-sba‘ al-firz lil-hukum dowldb 
low azamat kutr ad-da‘dwi kazéha 
10. low hw ‘ala-n-nahrejn w-as-satt w-az-zdb 
w-illa ‘ala kanzén mdlen fandha 


1 


13. 


14. 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


11. tara-t-talata alli tekuliin bedjab 
tara-t-talata ‘enda fares hawaha 

12. rab an-negem w-as-shejl w-al-gedi ma rab 
fares ‘ala kill al-gezire rataha 

13. min fowk sakra sadraha éannaha-l-bab 
Selfa min damm al-ma‘ddi sakaha 

14. sfuk ‘akab leh sijdrem lil-agnab 
swaze’ min ‘akab ‘amsa ramdaha. 


O thou who ridest on a she-camel of the long-paced ones | 
Not yet four years old that over the vast desert longs tocross! 


. Oh, one might say of her that she is like a she-ostrich 


which with neck outstretched has climbed a hill 
As if attacked by beasts of prey from behind. 


. If her fast gait slackens, a swinging stick is all she needs; 


No cobbler will tire by tending her galled hoof. 


. In rabi* she grazes where al-Heri and as-Swab rise, 


Till the fat of her back has reached its height. 


. A bold man is mounted on her, no stranger; 


I, Sakkar, who guide her with an almond stick 


. From the land of Syria, I, a merchant, ride her 


And IJ sell to everyone who gives a fair price. 


. (The she-camel) will come to the father of Salfiz, an 


enemy of strangers, 
Butcher of stout she-camels, whose humps shake with fat. — 


. He is sugar, honey sweet when it melts in the stomach, 


But poison for the stomach of his enemies to whom he 
gives drink. 


. A leader among lions, to the Government he is a millwheel, 


And, be the number of claims never so great, he will 
settle them all. 


. Whether camping between the two rivers or by the 


Euphrates or az-Zab 
And if owner of two stores, he exhausts them. 


. See! the three virtues ascribed to Dijab, 


See! all these three virtues Fares has. 


. Stars set and so sets Canopus, but the pole star never, 


Fares, too, outshines all Mesopotamia. [and thus 
When riding his sorrel with gate-wide breast 

The edge of his spear in the blood of his foes he dyes. 
Sftik begot swords against the strangers [tyranny. 
And meteors born from ‘AmSa he hurled at the stranger’s 


STRANGERS IN THE CAMP 275 


The poet, Sakkar, a native of the settlement of al-Kubejsa, 
was a peddler among the branch of the Sammar tribe camping 
between the middle Euphrates and the Tigris. The chief Fares 
of the reigning family Al Garba’ was his protector. The name 
of the chief’s father was Sfik, his mother’s name ‘AmSa. Both 
father and son hated the Turkish strangers intensely on account 
of the wrongs they had to suffer from the governor at Mosul. 
In the poem cited above Sakkar praises himself and extols 
Fares. The narrators were Mhammad al-Kazib and Hmar abu 
“Awwad. 

Verse 3. Howza, instead of hezz, shake or nod. The hoofs 
of some she-camels are covered with too fine a skin. When 
such an animal walks for any length of time on rocky roads, 
especially in volcanic regions strewn with sharp pieces of lava, 
the hoof skin becomes covered with callous spots or scars so 
that blood flows at every step. In speaking of a camel in this 
condition the Rwala use the verb hafat, meaning “she has be- 
come calloused or scarred, she walks barefoot.’ To save his 
animal from loss of blood, the rider cuts out from a tough 
camel hide pieces of the size of the hoof, and stitches them, 
jirka‘, under the scarred hoof. The she-camel tries to rid her- 
self of the uncomfortable sole by rubbing it against rocks and 
often cuts the stitches, which must be repaired at once, causing 
the rider much fatigue and delay (see my The Northern Hegaz, 
_ New York, 1926, pp. 194-196). 4. Al-Heri and as-Swab are valleys 
heading in the northeastern part of the desert of al- Hamad. 
5. Ud al-legdwi is a stick made from an almond shoot. 7. Salfiz 
is a son of Fares. ‘Awk ar-rudiim is a poetical term. Rudim 
here signifies she-camels so fat that they can hardly move. 
9. Fares lived in perpetual discord with the Turkish Govern- 
ment, refusing to recognize its claims, crushing them as would 
a millwheel. 11. Dijab eben Ranem was famous for his bravery, 
farse, generosity, karam, and judgment, ‘akel. These three 
qualities gained for him the title sdheb al-mruwwa, meaning 
“famous for his great sagacity,” or, possibly, “gentleman.” 
12. A rider in the desert at night cannot guide himself by stars 
which change their place. The pole star, being almost stationary, 
is the traveler’s safest guide. 14. Swdze° are meteors which 
erush everything upon which they fall. 


276 RWALA BEDOUINS 


SLAVES 


Slaves are owned not only by the chiefs but by ordinary 
Bedouins as well. Adult slaves cannot be bought any longer; 
small negro children, however, are still brought from Negd and 
offered for sale. In most cases they dre the children of black 
prostitutes from the large settlements of central Arabia and 
from al-Medina and Mecca, but they are also frequently or- 
phans. No negro is a chattel, mamlik, of his master, for he 
may not be sold or killed and is free to choose another master. 
As a rule, however, the slaves remain with the same family 
all the time, min gdidhom. Every married slave has his own 
tent, camels, and weapons, all this being given to him by 
his master, to whom he must return everything, should he 
wish to leave him. Even the slave’s clothing is furnished by 
the master. The slaves in the household of a prince or great 
chief live entirely care-free. If the supplies are not well guar- 
ded by their master’s mother or wife, they help themselves 
at their pleasure, cooking, roasting, and frying in their tents 
without a thought as to whether anything is left for the prince 
or chief. Then when the supplies are gone, they merely say: 
“We are hungry,” and the master must replenish his larder 
anew. 

If the chief entertains visitors, the slaves eat up all that 
is left over, so that the chief has to go to bed hungry. ) 

Work is shunned by the slaves whenever possible. If the 
master himself does not see that it is done, they remain 
leaning peacefully against their camel saddles, smoking their 
master’s tobacco and drinking his coffee. Their chief work is 
watering the camels. If the chief owns a large herd of white 
camels, mardtir, and a herd of pack camels, zeml, with two 
or three herds of she-camels besides, they often draw water 
for the animals for two nights and a day or two days and 
a night, especially if the chief is present. The slaves load and 
unload supplies and lead the laden camels. They also help the 
women with the unloading, loading, transporting, and pitching 
of the tent, but only when afraid of the master. However, 
if they know him to be on bad terms with his women, they 
at once take his side and will not move a finger to do anything 
for the women. They work voluntarily only when they expect 
to gain something by doing so. When important guests arrive, 
the complaisance and affability of the slaves is boundless. But 


STRANGERS IN THE CAMP 217 


should the guest fail to tip them well on his departure, they 
will not deign to notice him when he comes again. They are 
very eager to share in the raids, loot, of course, being their 
main object. All the horses captured by the slave must be 
delivered to his master, who, however, is obliged to give the 
slave a camel for every horse: One half of the captured camels 
go to the master, the others are the slave’s share. 

The little sons of the chiefs are brought up by the slaves; 
they make friends with the slaves’ sons, and everything that 
they do is on the advice of the slaves and with their assistance. 
The slave is frequently the confidant of the first love of his 
master’s son, negotiates with the girl’s kin, protects his wife 
and children in a rebellion or hostile invasion, and is often the 
real guardian of his master’s orphans, whom he also assists to 
regain their power and property. When the master’s daughter 
marries into another tribe, as a rule she is accompanied thither 
by a reliable slave. 

The slaves are the main support of the chief: they protect 
him against a sudden attack and execute any order he may 
give. Yet nobody deposes or kills a chief so readily or more 
frequently than his own slaves. In the disputes which some- 
times arise between the members of ruling houses the decision 
lies with the slaves, so that a weak chief often is nothing but 
a tool in their hands. In camp every slave has a certain place 
allotted to him for his tent. They completely surround their 
chief’s tent and in this manner prevent the entrance of un- 
bidden guests. Whoever wishes his affair to succeed with the 
chief must first gain the head slave’s favor. This man never 
opposes his master, but he generally arranges matters in such 
a way that in the end the chief cannot avoid endorsing every 
thing the slaves may desire. 

The slaves call their master uncle, ‘amm, claiming to be 
beni al-‘amm, relatives or cousins, of his kin. The imperative 
“semm,” “Mention!” or “Order!” is used by the slave, by a 
raider, and even by a Bedouin, when his master or chief calls 
for him; it is an invitation to the master to make known his 
wish or command. 

Among themselves the slaves have kin, ahl, like the Bed- 
ouins. They form marital ties without paying any heed to 
their master, only the consent of their own kin being neces- 
sary in this case. The master has no right to choose a wife 
for his slave or to take her away from him. Killing and 


278 RWALA BEDOUINS 


murder they avenge not only among themselves, but on the 
free Bedouins as well. The master who kills his slave exposes 
himself to the vengeance of the latter’s kin and must pay the 
blood price. Should he refuse, the avengers place themselves 
under the protection of a more powerful slave, generally the 
head slave of a chief, who soon compels the Bedouins to assist 
him in humbling the guilty person. A slave can pursue or 
protect, leh wagh je‘addi jesaddi, in the same manner as his 
master. Whoever hurts his protégé gains the enmity not only 
of the slave but of his whole kin, and of the slave’s master 
as well, who must support the abate in order to have peace 
in the tent and his usual comforts. 

Yet, no matter how powerful, a slave can never marry the 
daughter of even the poorest Bedouin; and, on the other hand, 
the least of the herdsmen would not think of marrying a slave’s 
daughter. For even the poorest Bedouin is independent, horr, 
while the slave remains subject, ‘abd, for ever. Not even the 
members of the most despised tribes, like the Slejb, Sararat, 
Htejm, etc., would marry a slave. In a certain manner they 
all are horr, despite the low esteem in which they are held, 
and a slave remains ‘abd, no matter what power he wields. 
Only the sons and daughters of white blacksmiths, sunnda’‘, 
enter into blood relations with slaves. If a black slave marries 
a white girl, the daughter of asdne‘, and their son also marries 
a daughter of a sdne‘ again, the third and fourth generations 
are quite white, and yet they do not become free, horr, but 
always remain slaves, ‘abid. In the settlements — especially in 
the cultivated regions — the origin of such whites is some- 
times forgotten, but never among the Bedouins of the desert. 


WHOLESALE MERCHANTS AND THEIR AGENTS, THE ‘AKEJL 


As the Rwala are occupied almost exclusively in camel 
breeding, it is only in exchange for camels that they can get 
grain, clothing, arms, saddles, and other necessities of life. 
The camels they sell either in the inner desert or in the settled 
territory, nearly always to the same wholesale merchants who 
live in the larger towns on the borders of Arabia as well as 
in Egypt and India. The most prominent among these is the 
Eben Bassam family, from the settlement of Bassam in al- 
Kasim. Its members own large business houses at al-Basra, 
Bombay, at-Tajef, Cairo, and Damascus. They export camels 


STRANGERS IN THE CAMP 279 


from Arabia, they act as agents for the importing of coffee, 
spices, and rice, not only by ship or railroad but also by pack 
camels, and they supply the Bedouins with arms. There is no 
large settlement in inner Arabia where an agent of Eben Bas- 
sam does not reside. 

The Al Salem family also is now engaged almost exclu- 
sively in the buying and selling of camels. These merchants hail 
from ad-Der‘ijje but live at Bagdad and Damascus. Members 
of this family once helped the WahhA@bite princes of the Eben 
Sa‘ud family with money, and even now they have many friends 
in Negd. 

The third firm engaged in trading in camels — also in 
clothing —is the Al ‘Isa family. They reside at Damascus and 
trade chiefly with the ‘Aneze and Hwétat tribes. 

The wholesale dealers hardly ever visit inner Arabia. They 
have their middlemen to whom they furnish money for dealings 
on their behalf. All these middlemen or agents are natives of 
al-Kasim and are called ‘Akejl, whether they belong to the 
tribe of that name or not. An ‘Akejli agent gets money from 
the wholesale dealer to buy camels from a certain tribe. He 
drives the animals which he has bought to Kgypt or al-Basra 
or al-Kwejt where he sells them, dividing the net profit with 
the wholesale dealer in such a way that the latter gets two- 
thirds or half of it. If the agreement was that the wholesale 
dealer was to get two-thirds, he must stand the entire loss 
that may result from the transaction; in the other case the 
loss is shared equally. It should be said in explanation of this 
that the demand for camels is not always the same. Often 
prices in Egypt and al-Basra rise suddenly; the Bedouins learn 
this and ask more too; the middleman or speculator, as he 
might be called, has to buy dear, but when he brings the 
camels to the market the price may have fallen and he must 
sell at a loss. 

Such an ‘Akejli agent hires assistants, usually his coun- 
trymen from al-Kasim, provides himself with light white tents, 
coffee, rice, and often also arms both for sale and exchange, 
and rides with letters of recommendation to the prince or chief 
of the tribe from which he means to buy. Having delivered 
the letters and gifts sent to those dignitaries by the wholesale 
dealer, he puts up his tents either in the prince’s camp or, 
if permitted, in the camp of some chief. The chief of the 
camp where the trader has put up his tents is also his host, 


280 RWALA BEDOUINS 


mu‘azzeb, in so far as he protects him as his guest but does not 
board him. The Bedouins now bring their camels to his white 
tents, hijdm, and as-a rule sell them for cash. Only when the 
agent has brought arms and ammunition from al-Kwejt or al- 
“Azér for sale, will they exchange their animals for these art- 
icles. On the sale of every camel the prince or the chief gets 
one-half or one megidijje ($0.45 or 0.90). The purchased animal 
is then branded with the ‘Akejli mark and left to graze in 
the herd with the others. For his herdsmen the ‘Akejli hires 
youths from the tribe where he is buying at the time. Many 
herdsmen accompany the agent’s herds as far as Egypt and 
on their return tell of the wonderful things they have seen 
or learned on their trip. If the ‘Akejli buys camels in the 
inner desert, he remains with the purchased herds for many 
weeks, or even months, with the same tribe, waiting until it 
moves to the settled territory, generally toward the end of 
June. If he buys from tribes who never leave the inner desert 
he drives the herds he has bought from tribe to tribe, until 
he comes to some clan of a tribe which leaves as a rule in 
May or June for the tilled territory in order to supply itself 
there for its sojourn in the desert. On reaching the border 
of the desert, the ‘Akejli proceeds to the nearest large town 
where camel markets are held. If he can sell his animals there 
advantageously, he will do so and return to the tribe from 
which he came and buy camels again; but should he think 
that he could do better in Egypt, he will buy everything he 
can from other speculators whom he happens to find in the 
town and then journey on to Egypt. 

The herds belonging to the ‘Akejl may be captured by 
strange raiders, just as the herds of members of the tribe 
with whom he happens to be migrating, and for that reason 
the ‘Akejl have in every large clan their brother, ah, to whom 
they pay, jehih, from four to five Turkish pounds ($18 to 
22.50), one good riding camel, and two or three good cloaks 
annually. This brother is obliged to restore to them every 
camel stolen by a member of his clan. Among the Rwala and 
the Weld ‘Ali the ‘Akejl have brothers in the following kins: 
Eben MaShir, Eben Der‘an, Eben Gandal, Eben Mégejd, Eben 
Me‘gel, and Eben Hamad al-Wléd‘ii or al-Wahbi (of the Weld 
‘Ali, also called the Beni Wahab). If the Rwala bring home 
from one of their raids camels bearing the ‘Akejl brand and 
there is no ‘Akejli camping with them, the ah drives these 


STRANGERS IN THE CAMP 281 


camels into his own herd and waits till some ‘Akejli comes to 
claim them. Thus a brother’s eye cares for the ‘Akejl even 
during their absence, ‘ajneh wardhom. 


BLACKSMITHS 


In the opinion of the Rwala, Allah created with the first 
Bedouin also the first smith, sdne‘ (pl., sunnd‘). Every camp 
and every settlement of inner Arabia has its blacksmith who 
works for the whole clan or for the whole oasis. Often the 
same blacksmith family has camped with the same clan from 
time immemorial and yet cannot be adopted by it, for the 
sunnd remain strangers forever. Among themselves the black- 
smiths form kins of their own, and the blacksmiths of the 
Rwala are relatives, beni al“amm, of all the blacksmiths in 
Arabia. They live in almost the same way as the Bedouins 
or settlers and are subject to claims of vengeance among 
themselves; but they never make war or take part in raids, 
even as allies of the Bedouins. During an attack on the camp 
where their tents stand they go on with their work uncon- 
cernedly, defending neither themselves nor their neighbors, 
for they have their brother, ah, in every tribe whose duty it 
is to return to them anything of which a member of that 
tribe has robbed them. Among the Rwala a member of the 
Al Migwel kin is the brother of the swnnd‘. If a Bedouin does 
any wrong to a blacksmith, the latter complains to Eben 
Migwel, who must put matters right. When the raiders bring 
along, besides other booty, camels bearing the sunnd* brand, 
their brother takes them all into his herd and sends word 
to the blacksmith of the raided tribe: “Your camels are held 
by me.” They then come, pick out their animals, and return 
home with them. But if camels branded with the mark of 
the brother’s tribe are found among those of the sunnd‘, he 
returns them to his tribesmen. For his trouble the brother 
keeps every fifth animal as well as such as are not claimed 
by the owner blacksmith. 

The sdne° not only shoes horses but repairs rifles, dag- 
gers, etc., and often makes new rifles, fine sabers, and spears, 
for there are many good artisans in his craft. For shoeing 
a horse he will make no charge. His reward is a two-year 
old she-camel, hezze, for every horse captured and all the 
horse saddles brought home from the raids, which he then 


282 RWALA BEDOUINS 


sells for his own profit. When the Bedouins procure supplies 
of grain in the tilled territory for their stay in the inner 
desert, the blacksmith demands one megidijje ($0.90) on each 
horse in order to buy his provisions. Whoever slaughters a 
camel must give the blacksmith all its entrails and the shins 
of its hind legs. 

No Bedouin, not even a member of despised tribes like 
the Sararat, Slejb, Hawazem, etc., would marry the daughter 
of a blacksmith nor let his doneniee marry him. For the sdéne‘, 
although white, is not independent, is not horr. 


CHAPTER X 


FOR TRY, 


POETS AND POETICAL COMPOSITION 


The Rwala love to hear, recite, and compose poems, which 
they call kasdjed (sing., kaside). A verse is called kdf. It usu- 
ally consists of two halves, the first being nuss al-kdf and the 
second, which is always rhymed, dher al-kdf, being kdf at-tali. 
The poet says of himself: “I composed a poem, kasatt or kilt 
al-kaside.” Sometimes a poet will not say that he composed 
(a poem), kasad, but merely that he uttered (a poem), kdl. The 
audience say to the poet: “Reveal us thy poem, ebdaha ‘alejna.” 
If a begging poet comes to a chief in whose honor he has com- 
posed a poem, he begins by saying: ‘There are a few words, 
O chief! which I should like to disclose to thee, O long-living 
one! endi clémat 7a Sejh abri ebdiha ‘alejk 74 tawil al-omr.” 
“Out with it! hatah.” And the poet in a nasal voice begins 
to recite his poem. The first words he blurts out, the next 
he half swallows, and the last he utters in a falsetto. If the 
chief likes the poem, its author gets a reward. The begging 
poets are not held in much esteem, being reproached for their 
insatiability, for their disregard of honesty in praising even 
scamps for a reward, and also because they lie and steal. 
They steal the ideas, sentences, and even whole verses of 
others. It often happens that the hearers assail such a poet 
with the words: ‘Thou liest. Thou stolest it from So-and-So!” 
The poet defends himself, calling on others to be his witnesses, 
but the confidence of his hearers is gone, and they say: “A poet 
is a liar, kassdd kadddab.”’ When the poet learns that his com- 
position or some of his verses are claimed by somebody else, 
he complains to the chiefs or even in the courts, but they all 
refuse to listen on the ground that a poet cannot be trusted. 

On hearing a new poem the Bedouins inquire its author’s 
name, limin hddi. An anonymous poem is called maghila. 

A poem is but rarely written down. As a rule the poet’s 
friends learn it by heart, and others learn from them. Every 
Bedouin knows several poems but hardly ever the whole of 


283 


284 RWALA BEDOUINS 


any. He usually recites from six to ten verses and then says 
that perhaps someone else knows the rest. Hence, since every 
long poem must be collected piecemeal from a number of 
men, the order of the individual verses can seldom be accu- 
rately established. If two Bedouins know the same verses of 
the same poem, they never recite them in exactly the same 
way but change the original words and often whole verses. 
Sometimes these changes are due to later improvements by 
the poet himself, but in most cases his unconscientious or 
careless friends are to blame. The Bedouins often quarrel as 
to: the original wording of the verses and frequently ask the 
poet himself about this, but even he is not always absolutely 
sure. Often the poet insists that a verse was at first worded 
in such and such a way, but his friends contradict him. This 
makes him exclaim that all the versions are good and original, 
and he ends by appealing to the omniscience of Allah. After 
hearing this answer from a number of poets, I gave up the 
search for the original wording, as the task is not only most 
difficult but quite useless. At other times I found that the 
poet himself knew barely the first few verses of his own 
poem. The rest he had forgotten and was glad that his friends 
remembered more than he. Only poems dealing with subjects 
of common interest become widely known and are preserved, 
whereas poems describing particular events are recited only 
by the persons concerned and fall into oblivion when these 
persons are dead. 

It cannot be denied that the Bedouins are poetically gifted. 
The composing of all kinds of ditties and songs is mere play 
to them, and they do not hesitate even at longer poems. They 
also hold that the words used in a poem must be out of the 
ordinary, not those heard in common everyday life. The more 
unusual words the Bedouin can put into his composition, the 
better he thinks it. The poet therefore revises every verse 
most painstakingly, repeats it many times, substitutes some 
words for others, and asks the opinion of his friends before 
producing his poem. 

The Rwejli always explains the reason or occasion of the 
origin of every poem, believing that the poet had some motive 
for its composition. Often he forms his own opinion as to the 
origin of some old poem simply from its contents and is firmly 
convinced that he is not mistaken, and yet no one but the poet 
himself could say what induced him to compose it. 


POETRY 285 


TYPICAL BEDOUIN POEMS 


I give below some poems of the Rwala and of others 
camping with them. In some cases these were explained to 
me by the poets themselves. 


Lament of a Man Dogged by Misfortune 


1. Ja radceb alli ma lahegha-l-genini 
hamra testk alli ‘ala-d-daww sabbér 
2. tera min as-Sdma Lamm as-senini 
eljama rada fowk al-abdher tekel tar 
3. jerdi-l-amds ekradnaha w-ad-demili 
w-rakkabah ma mall min kitr al-ensdr 
A. telfi labu bejdar min al-rdnemini 
bekrajezen mad hafaha kill fassdr 
5. aksar ma ‘endi nahdr az-za%ini 
cejf az-zemadjel bass tentén wa-hwér 
6. beléi jerdi min Sttinen tegini 
‘abbi-s-sebil w-hott bel-‘azem li nar 
7. “azzi min mitli “aduwweh bebtejni 
la hw msdwerni w-la jet: al-aswdar 
8. ja-llah talabtak zareat al-hanini 
bemakeb al-bedwan werden w-saddér 
9. hatt-en afrah elja-l-msajjer jegini 
qa zeben min hallowh w-al-gejs tajjar. 


1. O thou who ridest a bay she-camel not yet oppressed 
with a calf, 
Filling with desire those who dwell in the vast elongated! 
2. From aS-Sama to aS-Senini she grazes, 
Till, thou wouldst say, a long ridge with steep slope 
will rise above the fore part of her spine. 
3. Her pace and trot permit of slumber 
And tire not the rider on his many distant raids. 
4. To Abu Bejdar go, to him who is one of the takers 


With verses composed by no babbler. [of spoil, 
5. The most painful day for me is when moving to another 
camp, 


And little wonder, as only two pack camels and one 
yearling I possess. 


286 RWALA BEDOUINS 


6. What I only imagine, may really happen; 
Fill therefore my short pipe and lay fire in its bowl 
formed from a bone. 
7. Pity him who, like me, has an enemy in his own belly, 
Who never consults me and takes no advice. 
8. OAllah!I prayed to thee for she-camels pitifully grumbling, 
In order that, as with various Bedouins, the one might 
be hauling water while the other was returning, 
9. And that I might rejoice at the messenger’s arrival 
From thee who protectest the deserted, even when all 
the camel riders fled. 


“Amlas ab-al-Wkal of the Kwacbe tribe was dogged by 
misfortune. If he took part in a raid, he not only did not 
capture anything but usually lost his own animal as well; if 
he stayed at home, his herd was attacked and some of his 
camels were stolen. Finally all that remained of his property 
were two female pack camels and one calf. Then it was that 
he composed this poem and sent it to the chief Abu Bejdar, 
who had just returned with rich booty. 

Verse 1. Genini is a calf yet unborn. Lahegha is used 
of a calf which presses on its mother’s womb or clings to its 
mother. 2. A she-camel that has grazed so well during the 
march as to become fat is the desire of every traveler. AS-Sama 
is the region lying east of the center of the Sirhan depres- 
sion; a&-Senini (or Umm ag-Senini) is a rain pool on the road 
From al-Gowf to Tejma. A tdér is a long, high, and steep es- 
carpment. The hump of a fat she-camel as seen from either 
side resembles such a steep slope. 3. Hkrdv is a long, fast 
pace; demil, the trot of the camel. Tedowmal has the same 
meaning as tederhem, she trots. Both the pace and trot of a 
she-camel are so quiet and even that they allow the rider to 
slumber peacefully, ‘amds (or na‘ds), and therefore he does 
not tire, md mall, even if making several long journeys, en- 
Sar. Enseruv is often used instead of emsu, meaning ‘Run!” 
“Gol” 4. Ranemin are men who almost always return with 
booty, ranime. 5. Nahdr az-zaini is the day on which the 
tent with all its contents is loaded on camels for removal to 
another camp. Za‘djen are small groups of camels which carry 
the property of moving Bedouins. 6. A satne (pl., Stun) is a 
thought,. notion, or impulse of the Bedouin’s heart, hwdges 
alli bel-kalb. It occured to ‘Amlis to send his supplication to 


POETRY 287 


the chief, Abu Bejdar. Having done so he waited for the re- 
sult. In the meantime he filled his short pipe, sebil; but even 
that was no longer whole. The Bedouin often carves for him- 
self such a pipe out of a soft stone. The bowl usually soon 
breaks off and is then attached to a bone. 7. While he smoked, 
‘Amlus contemplated his ill luck and pondered on the mystery, 
thinking it was as if he carried his enemy in his own belly, 
btejn. Whether he acted on advice or without it, ill success 
was inevitable. 8. Now he prayed to Allah to give him two she- 
camels pitifully grumbling — that is, she-camels which have 
left their young behind and are still full of milk. All day and 
all night she-camels parted from their weaned young utter 
their laments, jekra‘en haninahen. When the Bedouins camp 
far from water they keep two she-camels hauling water conti- 
nually, one fetching it and the other returning. This is done 
for fear of thirst; hence they speak of two she-camels, of 
one bound for the water, wdrede, the second returning with 
it, sddere. 9. Al-msajjer is either a special messenger sent by 
“Amlas to Abu Bejdar, or a Bedouin who comes to visit him 
in the evening and brings the news that he is to receive two 
she-camels. 


A Slanderer is Warned to Make Sure of His Own 
Paternity Before Reproaching Others. 


1. Jad méajjel al-hamlat lejtak tettabba 
‘aleyzk min gowf al-kabdjel talaba 

2. sazzem ‘ejdlak lejt howsak jehabba 
rais nuwar tel‘ab ‘ala ‘ers 7a-ba 

3d. low ent min hosn ar-romak md tsabba 
min ‘adrat as-sdgur w-alli reba’? bah 

4. ja-l-hebd jd-lli bel-kasdjed mlabba 
turki lekam leh lokmeten md-htana bah 

5. gegik abu nawwaf min fowk kabba 
ma surbat al-ddadn hom w-as-sijdba. 


1. O thou who bringest loads [of reproaches]! make sure 
of thy lineage, 

For there are complaints against thee from the midst 
of the tribes. 

2. Deprive thy little sons of health! May thy courage 
awaken! 
Thou art a gypsy chief and at dances playest, O dad! 


288 RWALA BEDOUINS 


3. Even wert thou sprung of Turkoman stallions, thou 
wouldst not be used to breed, 

Ay, even if thou hailedst from the manure heaps on 
Sagstr or from those who grew up there. 
4. O al-Hebdani! O thou who with poems adornest thyself! 

Turki swallowed a single mouthful and nobody wished 
him good digestion. 

5. Abu Nawwaf will surprise thee mounted on a mare with 
narrow high hoofs 

And the Adan and Sijab troops with him. 


- Mehde al-Hebdani, a poet from the Fed‘an tribe, had as- 
sailed the Rwala in a poem beginning with the words: 


‘Eindi leben sa‘lan hmiulen ta‘abba, 
For Eben Sa‘lan I have a good load [of reproaches]. 


These reproaches are answered by Muhammad al Mhelhel in 
our poem. Mehde was the son of a man who joined the Fed‘an, 
there married a Fed‘an woman, and not long after the wed- 
ding left again. Slanderous tongues claimed that Mehde was 
not the son of the man whom his mother had wedded; others 
said that his father was not a Bedouin and as such was not 
permitted to marry a Bedouin woman, and that he had dis- 
appeared through fear of being killed, should it become known 
that he had deceived the kin of his wife. Muhammad advises 
him, therefore, to make sure of his descent rather than meddle 
with the affairs of the free Bedouins. 

Verse 2. Because his descent is uncertain and he himself 
a coward, it would be best for him if he should deprive his 
little sonS of their health, sazzem. Hows is the excitement, 
bravery, which takes hold of men when fighting, tahdwasown 
(or tahdrabown). “Hebb” is said in anger, instead of “ehs” 
or “o‘kob” meaning “Shame!” “Away!” Lejt howsak jehabba 
means, according to the explanation given me by the poet: 
“May thy courage awaken.”’ Others, however, maintained that 
the words signify: “May thy courage be spat upon; may it 
be gone; away with thy courage!” The Fed‘an tribe camps for 
nearly six months amongst the settlers who invite gypsies to 
their weddings for merrymaking. 3. In the neighborhood of 
the river Sagur, where the Fed‘an also encamp, the pure blood 
of horses is not of much importance, a mare being admitted 
to any kind of a stallion. But even there Mehde could not 


POETRY 289 


find a girl to marry him, owing to the fear that he would 
beget cowards like himself. The pastures on the river sacar 
are called by our poet ‘adra, besmeared or polluted, because 
they are defiled by the excrements of countless flocks. No 
Rwejli would buy a mare from the neighborhood of the Sa- 
gur. 4. Turki eben Mhejd, head chief and commander of the 
Fed‘an, once gained a victory over the Rwala but was soon 
afterwards attacked and killed by them. Therefore he could 
not digest the mouthful he had won by his victory. “Hanij- 
jan,” meaning: “Your health, well may it become you!” is the 
common way of addressing one who has just taken a drink 
of water. Nobody spoke in that way to Turki, md-htana? bah. 
5. Abu Nawwéaf is the prince of the Rwala, an-Nuri. Adan 
are the members of the Al Iden kin. Sijdbe, beasts of prey 
or wolves, is the name given to the members of the reigning 
house of Eben Najef, relatives of an-Nfri. 


In Honor of the Author 


1. Abdi bdiér allah ‘ala kill nijje 
rabben cerimen “dlimen bel-hafijiat 

2. 74 rdéeben min fowk hamra tenijje 
horra hamima min eréab as-Sardrat 

3. ma sdmaha-s-sarraji b'eddd mijje 
w-lad nawwahat les-sél dowmen ma‘fat 

4. mirba‘aha betraf negd al-adijje 
tara zahar nawdr ward ad-dwdbat 

5. fowkah sdad w-al-mijdreé zehijje 

_ w-sefajifah lebb al-brisem halijjat 

6. maddat min bejten ‘eltimah tarijje 
as-Sejh Sejjal al-hmil at-tezilat 

7. min bejt abu nawwaf dib as-serijje 
zejzum megles Cdsebin an-nefalat 

8. fowkah rldmen ma jihdb ad-dwijje 
jowsel caladm lidjéren baiddt 

9. elja lefejt adjar hak-as-semijje 
ebdi-l-besdra w-zid minna-s-saldmat 

10. kel horren lefa min ‘endakom leh nwijje 
negmen Ssebih as-shejl ma beh rabawat 

11. bag al-bildd al-admra w-al-halijje 
beakl ragih ma jihdb al-asirdt 


290 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


12. as-Sejh musa ‘elimeh Sefijje 
hafez ‘elimen min duhtiren muzemnat 
13. mad gdbat al-hafrat mitleh halijje 
w-lad leh Sebih besujuh al-beddwat 
14. hdcem waziren ‘drefen kill sigje 
w-li leh metil kid abu zejd besfat 
15. helw-l-metajel bekfufen sahijje 
Sebih hatem ma jihab al-hasarat 
16. sinneh zahtk w-ger‘ateh baslijje 
firz al-kandsel w-al-mesdwer satbat 
17. lejten razanfar ma jddni-r-radijje 
der‘an hasinan jidhartineh al-“dzat 
18. w-en jesser al-mawla w-zdnat an-nijzje 
lazem jigikom beelumen mutemndat 
19. ‘elim al-bawddi wa-hzarha w-ar-ra1jje 
dijar ar-rwala w-fed‘an w-arz al“amdarat 
20. wa-didr neged w-al-fru’ al-halijje 
ma diret as-sawwan w-arz al-hwetat 
21. hadi af dl alli-hsa’ leh wafijje 
kanz al-fahr bahr an-neda w-al-mruwwait. 


. My every purpose I begin by remembering Allah, 


The good Lord who knows all things, even the hidden. 


. O thou who ridest a bay she-camel not yet five years old! 


A thoroughbred, fleet of foot, of the Sararat female 
riding camels, 


. For whom no buyer has yet offered a hundred other camels, 


Who has never knelt for a load, being well cared for; 


. In rabi* time she grazes on the borders of the health- 


ful Negd 
Eating blossoms of many plants, such as tender roses; 


. She carries a saddle with a fine cushion upon which 


to rest the foot, 
And her pied ribbons are of purest silk. 


. Out from the tent she rode carrying the latest news 


Of the chief who burdens himself with heavy loads, 


. From the tent of Abu Nawwaf, that wolf of a picked 


troop, 
The shield of those who gather there and whose booty 
of alms consists. 


. Mounting her is a hero who fears not vast deserts, 


Who is to carry word to countries far distant. 


POETRY 291 


9. If thou reachest such countries, 
With glad tidings begin and our greetings add. 
10. Say: “From you a hunting falcon with a firm resolve came, 
Like the star Canopus, which cannot be hidden. 
11. Countries both settled and desert he explored 
With mind acute, of distress unafraid. 
12. Chief Musa, of whom are none but glad tidings, 
Over ancient events holds sway. 
13. To another like him no chaste beauty ever gave birth 
And of all Bedouin chiefs none equals him. 
14. A ruler he is, vizier, ali things knowing, 
And none is his equal except, perhaps, Abu Zejd the 
fabulous. 
15. What fair examples his generous hand gives, 
Like one who spends and fears no losses. 
16. With smiling mouth, of will indomitable, 
He excels all consuls, can offer advice in the hardest 
cases. 
17. A reckless lion he, with only contempt for rascals; 
Armor stout he has which the oppressed would desire 
for themselves. 
18. If the Lord helps and his aim succeeds 
He will return to you with tidings important, 
19. With reports of Bedouins, the dwellers in the settlements 
and nomads, too, who breed goats and sheep, 
Of the lands of the Rwala and Fed‘an and the ‘Amarat 
20. Of the regions of Ne&d, of valleys vast, [land, 
Of the Sawwan country and the land of the Hwétat. 
21. By these deeds he has gained for himself 
A treasure of fame and a sea of knowledge and noble 
qualities.” 


This poem was composed by Prince an-Ntri eben Hazza‘ 
eben Sa‘lan with the assistance of his clerk Gwad, who recited 
it to me. 

Verse 2. The Sararat raise the best riding camels. 3. It was 
not for sale even if a hundred she-camels of the common breed 
were offered in exchange. 5. Miraka (pl., mijdrecé) is a leather 
cushion stuffed with wool or camel’s hair, which hangs from 
the front knob of the saddle, covering the camel’s neck and 
serving as a foot rest to the rider. These cushions are some- 
times richly ornamented and cost as much as £T10 ($45). 


292 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Safdjef are variegated woven ribbons, often five to eight 
centimeters wide and over a meter and a half long, fastened 
behind the saddle and hanging down the sides of the animal’s 
belly. 6. Sejjdl al-hmil at-tezildt means “collecting important 
news with which he burdens his mind.” 7. Abu Nawwaf is 
Prince an-Niri. His tent is the gathering place of the needy, 
who carry away what his munificence gives. 10. Horr signifies 
a hunting falcon of the best kind. A small star is easily hidden 
by a little vapor, but shejl, Canopus, shines even in a hazy 
night. 12. AS-Sejh Masa is the writer of this work. 14. Abu 
Zejd is the hero of the ‘Antar tales. 19. Ar-ra‘ijje are the 
fellahin who pasture their goats and sheep on the desert border 
and camp in tents. The Fed‘an and ‘Amarat are members of 
the ‘Aneze group. 20. Al-fri al-halijje is the territory of al- 
Wudijan stretching down to the right bank of the middle 
Euphrates. Diret as-Sawwan is the district west of the Sirhan 
depression. The Hwétat camp in southern as-Sawwan and on 
the Red Sea. 21. Neda’ is experience, which makes every enter- 
prise succeed in the same way that moisture helps the vege- 
tation. Mruwwéadt are all the noble qualities which a model 
Bedouin should have. 


‘Abdallah Answers Fejhdan’s Reproaches* 


1. Ja radéeb min ‘endana sejarizjat 
min sds ‘ajraten e‘raben ettelddi 

2. banat horren fahhalowh as-sararat 
bel-ge7s jana’ leh gami‘ al-bawaddi 

3. bitr al-fhid wrtkahen mistagellat 
hoz ar-rzab mufattalat al-azgadi 

4, sib al-rawdreb w-al-mahdzeb emsibat 
min al-kofl ma zejjen lehen at-twadi 

5. bes-sadd watnat w-bel-masi ‘aglat 
raff al-mesdme w-an-nwdzger ehdadi 

6. mirbaahen kabsdn lel-bedw mashat 
lima beda? nigm at-twejbe’ wkadi 

7. w-en haz min bén an-nehifén hejzat 
jeran zahar ma lak bikill wddi 

8. g@ hakkena behen w-hen hakkehen fat 
kat’ al-hardjem w-ad-djdr al-ba‘ddi 

9. as-subeh min rai nefi mistalgat 
jesden rebden mzajjeren mas’ hamaddi 

8 See above, pp. 181f. 


2d. 


50. 


POETRY 293 


. w-al-asr bddr eben ‘askar mwejgat 


‘ajrat zajjerhen semdar al-bilddi 


. eben hasan ravi truken mahallat 


‘abdallah alli lel-ma‘ani sidaddi 


. mendsfen behen eshtinen mellat 


jerma? behen adndb hilen w-zddi 


. as-subeh dannowhen mustadirat 


w-min hajet ad-dire lahen igtilddi 


. rabb as-sera? mu‘azzeldten w-zamrat 


mitl al-handja-lli handhen istadi 


. masow w-hallowhen ‘ala-l-wageh zafat 


misrahahen turuk w-arzen hamddi 


. wakt al-ma‘assa misrefinen ‘ala b7at 


malen éema-l-harra w-kubb tekddi 


. w-ensed “an ar-ruhmdan w-al-elem ma fat — 


zeml at-thut lesejl hemlen wkddi 


. w-illa an-alli hom w-elwa’? hrabat 


ma bénhom kid estefak al-awddi 


. dowsdn ‘alaf sjufuhom kill gumhat 


‘ala-l-ezda°? w-illa rejr zadi 


. w-illa ‘an-alli bel-kasa jedbah as-sat 


fejhan eben Za‘ed harib al-bwddi 


. kil dazzejt li hegnen ‘ardwi marrat 


‘endak habar mahsibhen w-al-adadi 


. sdat lefenna sdr bes-sadr farhdat 


lejle ‘aleyna mitl lejlet al-‘ajadi 


. jowmen lefenna w-an-negajer msawwat 


w-al-herz terz w-ra° as-suf sddi 


. jiben hasab w-suf wa-glud w-dlat 


w-ejal zarfinen ehfaf at-tanadi 


. w-asjdn ahalhen killahen hejzaranat 


wokiufen ‘ala-r-riglén mad min ek‘ddi 


. habbart ra‘ at-tél dakk al-makindt 


takkah Semdl w-Serk w-agnab w-ddi 


. “atejt ra at-tél hasbet rijalat 
‘adm al-habar ‘anneh gamit al-bladi 
. w-hallejt nusf al-gejs hafdje w-radjat 


w-nusf al-dhar gdlhen erteadi 
w-sannadet li negd sihan w-ra‘at 
w-min Safni bhal-hdl kal ar-rakdadi 
qa Sén lad tamsi ‘ala rejr mashdat 
w-al“omr ma jati ba‘ad al-fukddi 


294 


ol. 


o2. 


AT. 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


tabri te'gezni ‘ala kill marmat 
w-tahotteni ma bén kdfen w-zadi 
madmuh cidbak 7a mu‘azzi-s-salamat 
w-makbil sidzak 74 muzannat fawddi 


. masriuf kalbi kabl kalbak behejhat 


w-lani mitlak 7a radi al-geladi 


. ma jinfas al-mazjim ketr al-mnahat 


w-ld figzi az-zdmi haziz al-warddi 


. ra al-hawa éadddb w-iblis ma mat 


dawwer ‘asirak min ferizak w-radi 


. bénak w-bén hbezjebak tissat abjat 


‘ala-l-zZelib w-manzeleh ber-rekadi 


. w-al-hakwe ennak tangereh bel-habibat 


min al-mrah lad-dera’ lel-hawadi 


. w-illa ma‘ alli bel-hega’? mustacennat 


al-hakwe enneh jesma‘ak low tnadi 


. lak sowfaten wahede w-len-nds sowfat 


w-la wadi sejleh jefajjez bel-wdadi 


. w-elya brejteh saw ler-ragl markat 


ahaf jedri bak hatdt ar-rbadi 


. w-ld tdhod ad-dinja ehrasen w-hakwat 


jekta‘ak min nakl as-semil al-baradi 


. la tahker al-mahlik tara bhom afat 


en tacetni ja-huk etba’ emrddi 


. an-nafes lad trawwik w-iblis ma mat 


tara ‘asirak muharramen ‘ala-l-gwadi 


. en Can titeh al-oht bel-hesen w-al-laddat 


w-illa ean al-mal‘tin marwi al-ebadi 


. edhel ‘ala-lli ‘dlemen bel-hafijjat 


w-iblis la jerawwik bedarb al-fasaddi 


. as-Sejh mitlak ma jedawwer al-hanabat 


w-az-zejn ‘end ‘elwe min adn al-bawddi 
kubb as-swalef w-al-‘elum ar-radijjat 
w-otrok edriuben ma masowha-l-egdddi. 


1. O thou who ridest from us at the head of stubborn she- 
Hailing from she-camels of the best breed, [camels 
2. Daughters of a pure-blooded sire destined by the Sa- 


rarat for breeding, 


Which every Bedouin musters in the riding troop. 
3. Thighs they have as if cut away, rounded hips; - 
Level are their necks, their shoulders muscular, 


18. 


POETRY 295 


. The shoulder blades gray; below their belts they have 


white spots; 
Herdsmen have not yet made sharp clamps from dry 
stalks for their teats; 


. At saddling they remain quiet; they hasten on the march, 


Carry their ears high, and their eyes keep sharp lookout. 


. In the time of rabi° they graze in the KabSan ridge, 


by Bedouins desired, 
Surely as soon as the at-twejbe® star rises, 


. Andif the rain of at-twejbe* moistens well the depression 


between its two scorched hillsides 
They eat of such blossoms as in no other valley are found. 


. We can use our rights over them, for their right (to 


rest) has already passed, 
And we can ride through defiles and far lands. 


. In the morning they will depart from the lord of the 


settlement of Nefi 
Like dark-brown ostriches madly speeding over a gravel 


. In the mid-afternoon in the house of Eben ‘Askar _ [plain. 


The female riding camels throng, frightened by the 
dark gardens of the oasis. 


. Manners worthy of praise has Eben Hasan 


As his name ‘Abdallah alone rightly shows. 


. On trays of straw are big platters heaped up with food, 


To which he adds fat tails of sterile sheep and adds 
still more. 


. In the morning they bring the frightened camels, and 


Because of the settlement’s brick walls they are beaten. 


. Yesterday has made them empty, and sunken in are 


Like arches bent by an artisan. [their loins 
. At the start of the march they let one after another 
And graze on low hills and gravel plains. [speed on 


. At supper time they see tents 


Looking like land covered with lava, and then the stamp- 
ing of hoofs is heard opposite. 


. Inquire for ar-Ruhman; the report will not deceive thee, 


For it would take a stout camel to bear the load of 
true reports of him. 

If he be not there, inquire for them who fight against 
the ‘Elwa, 

Amongst whom nothing but the clashing of spears re- 
sounds. 


296 


19. 


20. 


21. 


22; 


23. 


24, 


20. 


26. 


27. 


28. 


Zu: 


30, 


dl. 


o2. 


3d. 


D4, 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


The sabers of the DowSsan kin feed on all skulls, 
Whether they be hungry or not. 
Or ask for him who, even when the guests are still 
afar, slays a sheep, 
For Fejhan eben Za‘ed, who so dearly loves to fight 
the Bedouins. 
Say to him: ‘‘Thou hast offered me female riding camels 
which came without saddle, 
Both their price and number thou well knowest. 
When they reached us, joy filled our breasts, 
And we spent that night as a festival. 
When they arrived, tips were paid and 
The cost cast up, and a dealer with woolen bags, thirst- 
ing for gain, appeared. 
Saddles, saddlebags, and water bags for the she-camels 
were wanting; also arms. 
Greedy the riders were, needing no invitation. 
Flexible rattans they held 
And stood without taking a seat. 
Their desires I reported to the telegraphist, who tapped 
his wires at once and 
Announced it north, east, south, and then gave me the 
A few reals I had to pay the telegraph clerk, [ answer. 
Although he received a report from no settlement. 
Of the she-camels I dismissed one half, for they were 
galled and worn out, 
While the other half shook with fever. 
So I went up to Negd to the chiefs and semi-Bedouins, 
And whoever saw me in that state said: ‘Stay, 
O stupid one! walk not by a way desired by none, 
For thy life will not return shouldst thou once lose it.’ 
Thou wouldst declare me unable to face trouble 
And wouldst place me amidst the strife of defenders 
and opponents. 
Thy lie must bow its head, O thou who in safety takest 
thy ease! 
Thy words those who suspect me may have believed. 
Renowned was my heart long before thine, 
For I am not like thee, thou baldhead. 
Him that has once been oppressed no hints will help, 
Just as the few drops in the bag of those who go for 
water will not suffice for the thirsty. 


o8. 


39. 


AO. 
Al. 
42. 
43. 


44. 


45. 


46. 


AT. 


Nefi; 


POETRY 29 


. He who by love is disturbed is given to lies, for Iblis 


is not yet dead — 
Seek thy sweetheart in the camp and beyond it. 


. There are nine tents between thee and thy sweetheart, 


By the well and on a plain. 


. | think thou wilt see her among the darlings; 


From the place where the flock rests look towards the 
curtain which protects from the wind and towards 
the three stones on which the kettle is placed. 

Shouldst thou not see her, she must be with those hiding 

in the corner 

And surely will hear thee if thou wilt call her. 

Thine own view thou hast of it, others see it differently, 

For no valley would allow its creek to vanish into another 

vale. 

If thou desirest to go to her, let the men be watched, 

For I fear that some of those idlers will hear of thee. 

Take not the world so lightly or as thy fancy dictates, 

For he who carries a pouch of cold water will destroy thee. 

Despise not men, for thou mightst need them! 

If thou obeyest me, thy brother, let my will guide thee. 

Be not seduced by thy desires, for Iblis is not yet dead — 

See, thy sweetheart is forbidden to the highborn. 

If only he would be satisfied with one of his kindred, 

so beautiful and charming! 

If not, cursed be the damned seducer of Allah’s servants! 

Put thyself under the protection of him who knows 

all secrets 

And let not Iblis lead thee on the road of sin. 

A chief like thee does not seek his own ruin, 

And beauties thou wilt find with the ‘Elwa, the Be- 

douins nearest to thee. 

Shun all stories and infamous reports 

And such ways avoid, as our ancestors did not follow.” 


The poet was ‘Abdallah eben Shejjel, lord of the oasis of 
the reciters, “Abdallah al-Matraid, Mhammad al-Kazib, 


and Hmar abu ‘Awwad. ‘Abdallah eben Sbejjel, while search- 
ing for a beauty much desired by Fejhan eben Za‘ed eben 
Zrejban, learned that she was the daughter of a blacksmith, 
sdne’, thus a girl whom even a common Bedouin must not 
marry if he does not wish to be expelled from his clan. He 


298 RWALA BEDOUINS 


therefore acquainted Fejhan with the result of his search 
but could not convince him, Fejhan’s opinion being that “Abd- 
allah either had no taste for his errand or feared the re- 
venge of the girl’s betrothed because he had found her another 
lover. ‘Abdallah answered by this poem in which he tells of 
his journey from the settlement of Nefi to Fejhan, describes 
his she-camels, reproaches Fejhan for having cheated him on 
the delivery of other she-camels as well as for suspecting him 
of fear and weakness. Finally he tells him to look for another 
girl, whom he may find in his very neighborhood. 

Verse 1. E*rdben means a descent universally acknowl- 
edged. 2. The Sararat are famous as raisers of pure-bred rid- 
ing camels. 4. Their shoulder blades are gray and they have 
white spots below their belts, stb al-rawdreb w-al-mahdzeb 
emsibat, because they are on the road all the time. The 
shoulder blades rub against the cushion on which the rider 
rests one foot while the other foot touches the mahdzeb, the 
spot covered by the breast girth, which holds the saddle be- 
hind the forelegs on the breastbone. The she-camels alluded 
to have had no young as yet, therefore the herdsman has not 
needed to close their teats with sharp clamps to prevent their 
young from sucking at will. 5. A good camel will utter no 
sound while being saddled; this is very important at night or 
in a dangerous territory. On a forced march a camel is ex- 
pected to listen well and to observe the country in all direc- 
tions so that she can, by quick breathing, arching her spine, 
or by a motion of the neck, call the rider’s attention to any 
possible danger. 6. KabSan is an extensive ridge in the ‘Atejbe 
territory. If the nigm at-twejbe., Aldebaran, due about the 
middle of December, is accompanied by copious rain, the waters 
of this rain irrigate all the basins and in Negd produce luxu- 
rlant grass, and perennials spring up there as if by magic. 
8. After exhausting marches the she-camels are given at least 
three months’ rest; to this repose they are fully entitled, as 
their riders often require them to traverse by day and night 
regions where there is neither good pasture nor sufficient 
water. When these three months have expired, the riders are 
justified in setting out on a new trip. Hardjem (sing., harime) 
are defiles or passages between steep slopes. 9. Raw nefi 
signifies here the inhabitant par excellence, or the lord of the 
oasis of Nefi; rda‘i-l-gowf means an inhabitant of the oasis 
of al-Gowf. One may often hear “rd‘i mdred,” “radi kna,” “he 


POETRY 299 


is an inhabitant of the MAared fort” or “of the settlement of 
Kna,” “rda%v-l-kerije, he is a settler.” 10. “Abdallah eben Hasan 
eben ‘Askar was the lord of another settlement. The Bedouin 
She-camels are easily scared by the shade and the rustling of 
palm groves, as well as by the high walls enclosing them. 
14. Rabb as-sera or ‘okb al-bdérha means after yesterday. The 
well-fed she-camels on yesterday’s march were still a little 
lazy, for their bellies were full and much of their food not 
yet digested. As they found no pasture on their whole trip 
from Nefi to Eben ‘Askar and all they got in his house was 
a little dry grass, they digested all that was in their stomachs 
and emptied their bowels, which caused their loins to sink in. 
16. The black Bedouin tents stood in the basin, while the she- 
camels were approaching across the plain. When they were 
in sight, the Bedouins sent out a rider to meet them and find 
out who they were and whither bound, also to inquire about 
the camping places of their friends. 17. Eben RuhmAan was 
chief of a small kin of the DowSan clan. Zeml at-thit or 
zeml at-tkal is a camel able to carry heavy loads (more than 
three quintals). 18. The DowSan belong to the ‘Elwa division of 
the Mtejr but are often at war with the other Mtejr, as they 
will not submit to the head chief. 20. Fejhan eben Za‘ed eben 
Zrejban, the Dowsan chief who ordered the search for the 
beauty (21), offered ‘Abdallah the assistance of a large 
number of his tribesmen mounted on she-camels, but cheated 
him in this. “Ardwi m‘arrdat are she-camels on which the riders 
sit only on a piece of cloth fastened between the hump and 
hips. 23. An-negajer msawwdat was explained to me by Mham- 
mad to mean the same thing as al-esidde, riding saddles, while 
Hmar thought that it signified haldwa, reward or gratuity 
given to the herdsmen. Al-herz terz means, according to Hmar, 
the bargaining for the pay to be given to the hired camel 
riders, while Mhammad understood it to be the total expense 
of the expedition..Rd‘ as-suf is a seller of fancy bags for horse 
and camel saddles. 24. Before he could use these she-camels 
he had to have good saddles, hasab, bags, suf, water bags, 
glud, and arms for their riders, dldt. The riders too had many 
wishes and were insatiable in their demands. 25. Their stop- 
ping and shaking the little sticks used in guiding their camels 
signified that they threatened to leave if ‘Abdallah would not 
grant all their demands. The rattans were sold by the dealer 
in bags. 26. ‘Abdallah relates in a sarcastic manner that he 


500 RWALA BEDOUINS 


tried to telegraph for everything the riders asked for, but he 
could not get them anywhere. 28. Hafdje is the name given 
to she-camels with bruised soles which bleed at every step; 
such camels cannot, therefore, be used on long marches. 
E'rte‘ddi means shaking of the loins, a sure sign of fever and 
sickness. 29. Having been deceived by his friend Fejhan, ‘Abd- 
allah sought help from other chiefs in Negd and was in such 
haste about it as to rouse everybody’s wonder. 30. He ad- 
dresses Fejhan. “Jd Sén, O shameful!” O rascal! is used in both 
a friendly and hostile sense. 31. Fejhan would reproach him 
with fearing to win the beauty for him. 33. Radij al-geladi 
is a bald-headed man. 34. Haziz is what remains of water in 
a folded leather water bag. 35. He woos for Fejhan a girl of 
his own kin, as a kin usually forms a feriz, smaller camp, 
of their own. 37. He can see her cooking behind the narrow 
partition which protects the fireplace from the wind, dera’. 
58. Al-hega’ denotes the corner in the women’s compartment 
where women in childbirth or with abnormal menstruation 
rest. 39. Fejhan viewed his beloved’s beauty with his own eyes, 
but other people judged it differently. In Negd almost every 
settlement has its own valley without an outlet. These valleys 
are mostly large basins where the rain water accumulates, 
there soaking into the sandy ground and keeping fresh for 
a considerable time. None of these basins are connected, so 
that the water cannot flow on the surface from one to an- 
other. 41. He who is careless will perish, be he the most power- 
ful. A person on foot carrying a pouch with cool water will 
overcome a rider dying of thirst. 48. A Bedouin may not marry 
a sdne‘’s daughter. 


“Obejd Eben Rasid Lies in Wart in a Ravine 
to Fight the Al ‘Alu 


1. Hejh ja-lli lak ma‘ an-nés widdad 
ma tarhamin al-hdl jad ‘azwati lejh 
2. ma tarhamin alli rada dam‘eh abddd 
towl az-zemdn w-harrak ad-dam* haddejh 
3. min Sowfeti lel-rarw mazbir al-anhadd 
mutmaslehen jata? ‘ala-zdam riglejh 
4. as-Sowk mé@ leh ‘an mwéatih radddd 
ejzan w-ld sibten Ziwijjen jewaggejh 


POLTRY. O01 


5. eben rahis ndzelen hadd al-agrad 
kal ezeblow w-entom hal al-bejt 74 hejh 

6. kilt al-hejzeri ma jistui kid beblad 
w-la jistwi ‘okb al-tahazzori tabdwejh 

7. elja “ad mad merren jizarreten bel-awldd 
tara-l-mwassi jedhal alli juwassejh 

8. elja “dd ma nasal w-nazgreb bel-ahddd 
hibbit ja sejfen twal hamm ra‘ejh 

9. elja “dd ma nirwi hdideh min al-azddd 
waddeh jamm al-arfagiuje trawwegh. 


1. Hejh, O thou who makest friends! 
Will ye not pity my lot, O my relatives? 
2. Will ye not pity him whose eyes weep 
Unceasingly and whose cheeks are burning with tears? 
3. And all because I gaze at a maiden with a bosom full 
and firm, 
With sleeves thrown over her back and tied, as on 
tiptoe she walks away. 
4. My sweetheart cannot be held back 
And no sole so thick but she will wear it through. 
5. Eben Rahis, he who camps at al-Agradi, 
Sent word: “Come to us and like one family ye shall 
be, O Hejh!” 
6. My answer was: “A settler thrives nowhere but in a 
settlement 
And cannot live like a Bedouin, being a settler indeed.” 
7. Oh, may they who now grieve over their sons rejoice! 
See, he who makes his last will has no one to whom 
he may dictate it. 
8. Oh, may we fight again and with the [saber’s] edge 
strike! 
For that is my burning desire, O saber! which I cherish 
through all my sorrow. 
9. Oh! that we may again give to its edge the enemy’s 
blood to drink 
Or bring it to al-“Arfagijje in order that she may give 
it blood. 


The author was ‘Obejd eben Rasid; the reciters, Mham- 
mad al-Kazib and Hmar abu ‘Awwad. “Abdallah and his brother 
“Obejd were driven out from Hajel by the Al ‘Ali kin, supported 
by the Turks. Eben Rahis, the chief of the “Abde, offered them 


302 RWALA, BEDOUINS 


his protection. ‘Abdallah took refuge with him, but ‘Obejd and 
his followers remained in a building erected in the nearly in- 
accessible ravine of al-‘Okde, west of Hajel, where he waited 
for an opportunity for another fight. 

Verse 3. His wife brought him food through the almost 
impassable ravines which run down to al-‘Okde. 4. Her feet were 
bruised, her soles worn through. 6. The name of Eben RaSid’s 
kin is az-Zijarme, and it hails from the ‘Abde tribe. 7. The 
women exult, jizarreten, either when they call on the men to 
fight or when they welcome them on their return with booty. 
9. Al-‘Arfagijje was a woman who poisoned the slayer of her 
husband and thus revenged herself, while his kin only de- 
sired the blood price. 


‘Abdallah Eben Rasid Bewails His Expulsion 
from Hajel 


1. Ar-rab’ dannow zummaren tatwi-l-amras 
hegnen jifillen hél rad ar-radijje 

2. taradzow al-mebadr min ‘Senda dawwds 
w-ana ‘ala-l-habtir ma l matizje 

d. killen tedakkar ‘azwaten jamm al-atds 
w-ana-tdakkar ‘azwat as-sammarijje 

4. low la sebilen has bekullet ar-rés 
rarbi cehaf hamme bhak az-zwijje 

5. mazzejt ma jabbes maalizi ajbas 
jibred lehib al-kalb low leh hatijje 

6. low dakk bibdli temdnin howgds 
as-Sawri bel-cis w-an-nar hajje 

7. w-allah lansa’? negd low lekat® ar-ras 
w-abi° ana-l-radli w-adbah ebnejie 

8. al-hokm md jati behebren w-kurtds 
alla bdarb as-sejf w-terk al-hatijje 

9. min ‘okob ma-ni Sejh wa-thabni an-nias 
al-jowm md-hajjeb ra ar-ra‘ijje 

10. biéejt ana hali w-la beh ‘alejje bas 
taat li al-bedwan hom w-ar-ra‘ijje 

11. w-ahatt ‘esr al-mdal w-hasabt al-rras 
w-mahsubt al-ummdl elfén w-mijije 

12. ma gall ligje mnZhi ma‘ gimlet an-nds 
al-bedw w-al-hazran killhom swijje. 


POETRY 303 


1. My comrades took with them poor 
Female riding camels that tread on their reins and 
exhaust the strength of their riders. 
2. They wish to reach the ford at Dawwas, 
While I sit by al-Habtr, for my she-camel is not strong. 
3. All think of their kin there at the sand hills, 
But I think of my kin with the Sammar. 
4. But for my short pipe my head would be in a whirl. 
West of Cehaf Hamme in that bay — 
5. I have sucked in what sears my heart’s vessels 
And cools the heart’s flame, even though it be sin. 
6. Even if eighty cares were oppressing my mind, 
There is yellow tobacco in my pouch and the fire is alive. 
7. By Allah! with war I shall strike Ne&d even if my head 
be cut off, 
There I will sell my life, if only I may kill Bnejje. 
8. Ink and paper will not recover thy dominions for thee, 
But a saber stroke and forbearance from sin. 
9. What has happened’? I am chief no more and yet men 
did fear me— 
While today I cannot strike fear into the herdsman 
of a single flock. 
10. I bewail my lot—one can think ill of that, 
For till now Bedouins like sheep and goat raisers have 
obeyed me. 
11. Tithes I took on their wealth, the palm trees I counted 
And what the collectors reported were two thousand 
and one hundred. 
12. My skirmishes are not merely with one class, 
But with Bedouins and settlers, with them all. 


The poet was ‘Abdallah eben Rasid; the narrators, ‘Abd- 
allah al-Matrad, Mhammad al-Kazib, and Hmar abu gece 
‘Abdallah eben RaSid was overcome by the former prince Al 
“Ali, assisted by the Turks, and driven out. The Wahhabites 
supporting Al ‘Ali were commanded by Eben Bnejje of the 
Rwaila tribe. ‘Abdallah with his followers fled first to Eben Ra- 
his and immediately after to the Fed‘an tribe, then encamped 
on the river al-Habtr. His followers hastened farther on to 
the Sammar 41 Garba’ on the upper part of the river. “Abd- 
allah distrusted the chief of the Al Garba’ because he was 
related to the house of Al ‘Ali, whom ‘Abdallah wished to 


304 RWALA BEDOUINS 


depose. The Fed‘an favored the Wahh&abites more than the 
Sammar, as the reigning family of the Wahhabites originated 
like themselves from the ‘Aneze group, and Eben Bnejje was 
well known to many of them. ‘Abdallah knew that from the 
Fed‘an tribe he could expect no active help and that they tol- 
erated him as their guest only. 

Verse 1. Amrds is the word used by the settlers for reins. 
3. Af‘as or tu‘us are isolated conical sand hills projecting above 
the Neftd desert, where at the time of our poem the Rwala, 
Weld Slejman, and also many ‘Amarat clans were camping, 
all being supporters of Eben Bnejje. All these were relatives 
of the Fed‘an, who had their interests at heart. 4. Hamme is 
a hillocky region of volcanic origin between the right bank 
of al-Habur and the left bank of the Euphrates. 5. The Wah- 
habites forbade the smoking of tobacco as being sinful, but 
‘Abdallah smoked nevertheless, seeking consolation in his pipe. 
6. Sdwri is a superior sort of yellow tobacco. 7. Al-rdli signifies 
the soul, life. 


Lament of a Father for Two Sons Killed in Battle 


1. Hannejt kalben ddlehen mitl sanktr 
ma hammeh illa-t-tdr w-alli sikd beh 

2. ma hammeh alli hattow al-‘asr bekbir 
w-la baceneh bizen tald‘eg ‘adabeh 

3. al-bareha jowm al-halajez wara-d-dir 
hatib jd‘ezni w-kalbi jehda beh 

4. bicejyt ana salem min al-rows mastir 
howz al-mendja wdredeh md jeha? beh 

5. elfen feda’ sdlem w-elfen w-sankir 
w-lemhanna md je‘added hasdbeh 

6. ‘abdal‘aziz elja lahez hw w-sdbir 
sawwa ‘ala ddr al-ma‘ddi zebabeh 

7. ja-llih jad gadber ‘azm kill makstir 
ma li swak min jedir at-tlabe 

8. ahed ekzaji min al-eda md lijje sbiir 
w-la-zenn andm al-lejl w-hakki radd beh 

9. ‘alejk ja-ll ta‘lam al-rejb besriir 
azhart hakk jackub min ad-dijdbe. 


1. A demented heart I bless like that of Sankar; 
Nothing he cares for but his drum and him who beats it. 


POETRY 505 


2. Not for those he cares whom they laid in their graves 
at mid-afternoon, 
And the white women who once led him to sorrow weep 
not for him. 
. Yesterday when women were on the burying grounds 
behind the houses, 
The hatib reproved me, but in my heart I sneered at him. 
4. | mourned for Salem by youths cut to pieces; 
Yet he who will draw water from the fountain of death 
must not fear death. 
5. A thousand others I demand in vengeance for Salem 
and a thousand more with Sankir too, 
And for Mhanna, their number cannot be stated. 
6. As soon as ‘Abdal‘aziz joined us with the camel riders 
He covered the enemy’s camp in a cloud of dust. 
7. O Allah! thou who healest each broken bone, 
None I have but Thee, who would seek for what I ask. 
8. I lack patience to bring doom to the enemy 
And yet doubt whether I can sleep at night as long as 
my rights are withheld. 
9. In Thee I trust, who knowest all the heart’s secrets, 
Who hast settled publicly Jacob’s suit with the wolves. 


ey) 


The poet was Hmfd eben ‘Obejd eben RaSid; the reciters, 
Mhammad al-Kazib, Gw4d al-‘Ani, and Hmar abu ‘Awwéad. 
Prince “Abdal‘aziz eben Met‘eb went on a raid to the terri- 
tory of the Eben Sa‘td. He was accompanied by his uncle, 
Hmud eben ‘Obejd, with the latter’s two sons, Salem and 
Mhanna. On reaching the camp of the enemy, Hmid with 
“Abdal‘aziz remained with the reserve formed of camel riders, 
while the horse riders, Salem and Mhanna among them, made 
the attack. It was repulsed and both Salem and Mhanna killed. 
‘Abdal‘aziz then came to the help with his reserve, pressed 
the enemy’s cavalry back, surrounded the camp, and after 
plundering it returned with rich booty. Hmtd carried his two 
sons away to be buried in the cemetery behind Hajel. The 
funeral procession was accompanied by the negro Sankur, © 
who, being deranged, walked the Hajel streets by day and 
night beating a small drum. He invited all the boys he met 
to join him, to come and beat drums like him. Sankar had 
been a handsome fellow in his youth, and even the daughter 
of a prominent citizen of Hajel had fallen in love with his 


306 RWALA BEDOUINS 


good looks. The enraged father seized the poor fellow and 
had his sexual organ crushed. Since that time Sanktr had 
been demented. 

Verse 3. Hatib is a man who teaches religion, sometimes 
leads the prayers, explains the Koran, etc., but is at the same 
time employed in some handicraft or engaged in trade. 4. Ma 
jeha@? beh means “he fears or trembles before nobody.” Howg, 
according to the Bedouins, is a deep leather trough standing 
on three legs and used for watering camels; the settlers use 
the word for a walled-in cistern for holding rain water. When 
water is needed, the howg is the place to seek it. Howz al- 
manaja, a place where death is drunk, is a battle field. He 
who dares to enter the battle field knows that death awaits 
him there. 5. To avenge Salem two thousand of the enemy 
should have been killed. 6. Zebdb is a dense cloud of dust, 
like ‘agdg. In 7 the poet asks for vengeance. 9. The sons of 
Jacob asserted that Joseph had been torn in pieces by wolves. 
Jacob complained bitterly to Allah of this crime. Allah then 
lent these beasts the gift of speech, and, coming to Jacob, they 
proved their innocence by witnesses. 


In Honor of Muhammad Eben Rasid 


1. Ja hejh 7a-hal halijat al-mezahib 
hegnen telafa min bad al-maribe 

2. Se7b al-rawdreb sajigadt al-mahazib 
elfén masduddt kill sien tegibeh 

3. alli ‘aleghen mustahin al-ma‘azib 
Samow lrad%i musneden jirtaci beh 

4. le‘akob hollen jefegg al-ardzib 
linar ‘abdallah jewakked lehibeh 

5. Sdmow limin fat al-awddem ‘ala-t-tib 
azg-zejyrami killen lefeleh deri beh 

6. horren Sahar bralijat al-marazib 
fahhag ‘ala-l-fethan min zowd tibeh 

7. low jistahi hatt al-awddem hawdatib 
rasben bhadd as-sejf ralben ralibeh 

8. min al-biz jahjen leh ‘ajuin at-tesadbib 
w-al-mistebeh jinhag ‘ala Ssebheh jegi beh 

9. banat ma dabbar ‘alejhen betahsib 
w-la hajelen werd ad-debes min ‘azibeh 


12. 


13. 


POETRY D507 


10. bandt ‘akob melarremin al-mardalib 
zujarmen ‘akb al-gdid al-‘aribe 

11. 74 ma ‘atow min zahijat ad-debadib 
w-kubben tenassef bil-ma‘dder sebibeh 

12. hamm al-genub w-hamm serken w-tarrib 
w-kowneh ‘ala-l-wudijan ma jinhact beh 

138. adwa ‘alejhom kabl wakt al-tararib 
wa-tzabben al-bisri Sardjed dehibe. 


. Glory to you, O riders! with your bags empty, 


On female riding camels coming from far countries, 


. With shoulder blades gray and breast girths shifting; 


Of saddled ones two thousand are bringing us goods 
of all kinds. 


. Those who ride them are yearning for hosts, 


They look for him who leans against a cushion, 


. For the son of their friend who keeps clear the hill- 


side roads, 
For ‘Abdallah’s fire and its ever-burning flame. 


. For him they look, who surpasses other men in honesty, 


And for the Zejramit, whose deeds are known to all. 


. He is a noble falcon, who on the highest points is seen 


Because of his great valor, standing proudly on his legs. 


. Should it occur to him to make men fuel pickers, 


The vanquished he could compel with the edge of his 
saber. 


. The fair ones gaze after him with eyes like gazelles who 


guard their flocks, 
For like follows like and desires to win him. 


. His daughters never are told of the budget 


And need not longingly wait for the herds returning 
to water from far pastures. 


. They are daughters of the sons of ancestors who threw 


their fancy spears like lightning, 
Of az-Zijarme, the descendents of Arabian forefathers. 


. Oh, how many fat camels have they given away 


And horses whose manes are braided in the pasture! 

The south he attacked, east, and west, too, 

And of his raid to al-Wudijan much is related. 

He rushed down on them before they departed for the 
settlers’ land 

And the far al-BiSri gave shelter to their fleeing herds. 


508  RWALA, BEDOUINS 


The poet was a negro accompanying a trade caravan from 
Irak to Prince Muhammad eben RaSid; the reciter, “Abdallah 
al-Matrad. 

Verse 1. Mezhebe or mezwede are bags in which food 
needed on the journey is carried by the camels. 2. Sejb al- 
rawdreb are camels with gray or white hair. From continuous 
sweating the hair covered by the cushion on which the rider 
rests his feet becomes white. Hakab is the breast girth, a rope 
of camel’s hair which secures the saddle. When a long fati- 
guing journey causes the camel to lose its hump, the saddle 
shifts to and fro and the breast girth with it. 3. In the settle- 
ments the host sits on a rug and leans against a cushion. 
4.‘Arkub is a slope, or a steep, rocky hillside. On roads lead- 
ing across such slopes the merchants keep a-sharp lookout for 
robbers who frequent such places. The camels often stumble, 
the loads on their backs lose their balanee, and while the 
guides are picking up the fallen parcels, putting them back, 
and pushing the animals into the road again, robbers often 
take advantage of the disorder to make a successful attack 
on the caravan. Muhammad eben RaSid cleared the slopes 
from this pest, thus continuing the work begun by his father, 
‘Abdallah, founder of the power wielded by the Eben Rasid 
house. 5. The kin of Eben Rasid hails from the Zijarme clan. 
7. Gathering fuel on the plains and in the mountains for the 
camp or town of Eben RaSid is a task left to the serfs, mem- 
bers of the despised clans. 8. Jesabbeb, he examines thor- 
oughly, is used of a gazelle standing on some high point 
and keeping guard over the grazing flock. On sighting a 
suspicious object it looks at it with the same attention as the 
women look at Eben RaSid and the members of his family. 
Mistebeh is a man who claims to be highborn and who is con- 
sidered as such by many people, while in reality there is a 
blot of some kind on his descent. No honest Bedouin, even 
the poorest, would give him his daughter for a wife. He seeks 
a grandee of doubtful origin like himself and marries his 
daughter. 9. To the daughters of the house of Eben Rasid 
nothing is too costly. They can pick out at the merchant’s 
the best and most expensive dress goods. They never suffer 
from hunger or thirst, and to obtain a drink of milk need 
not wait longingly till the herdsmen drive in the camels for 
watering from a distant pasture. ‘Azib is a pasture from 
which the camels are not driven home every evening. This 


POETRY 509 


is why the camp is without milk. Not before the fifth or 
sixth day, when the she-camels must be watered, can the 
women and girls drink as much fresh milk as they lke. 
10. Mardalib are spears ornamented below the blades each 
with a little wreath of ostrich feathers called ralab. 11. It is 
a custom with Eben Rasid to offer a she-camel and a mare 
to every guest of distinction. Debddib are thoroughbred she- 
camels, which have been grazing for some time and are well 
rested. Ma‘dder are pastures reserved for horses exclusively, 
usually in valleys shut in by steep slopes, where they can be 
easily guarded and defended. 13. In the territory of al-Wudi- 
jan, as the eastern half of northern Arabia south of the ridge 
of al-Bisri is called, are the camping grounds of the ‘Amarat 
and Dahamse, who remove in summer to the right and left 
banks of the middle Euphrates — that is to the east, although 
this march of theirs is called tarrib (a going to the west). 
Adwa signifies the sudden swoop of a bird of prey. 


In Honor of Bender, Prince of the Sammar 


The enthronement of Bender, oldest son of Prince Talal, 
as prince of the Sammar in 1869 was announced to all di- 
visions of that tribe by special messengers who sang the fol- 
lowing verse, composed by RaSed al-Hasgli: 


Jad min jebasser as-Sammar sah bender 
w-an-nds kableh min rala abuh tarlih. 


Oh, who will tell the Sammar the glad news that Ben- 
der has become their prince? 

For he was already esteemed by men because of the 
fame his father had before him. 


For this verse Prince Muhammad eben RaSsid, who had 
overthrown Bender, sent Rased to prison for three months. 


Muhammad Eben ‘Arfeg in al-Gowf Contemplates 
a Journey to Hajel 


1. Ah w-azéh min gifnen gufw 
garhadij an-nowm min barden serim 

2. gal ‘akli w-eltahatt w-kumt alug 
wa-tkallab w-ezteled canni kasim 


oL0 


Go 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


3. dakaren bard as-sta “asran maza 
laddat ad-dinja w-genndt an-natim 

4, elja ‘attna sbat w-harr semmah 
‘end ahalna éannah ajjam al-hamim 

5. low tehalbas waktena farragt li 
bel-mnddi w-al-wahj haza-l-kelim 

6. li ma al-wejlan howga fateren li 
min satarha tistafez kowd al-hamim 

7. asl abuiha min ‘oman w-ummah 
wasmaha al-merzel ‘ala waré jetim 

8. ma jents ma‘dar rasah al-“asa 
seyarizje muarrama naam an-nedim 

9. al-merdfek w-al-azud w-zowraha 
dal da min wast da‘an da zerim 

10. mad hala nowzat muzajjer wiréaha 
ler-radif muhassara rasken hasim 

11. éenn ‘ajnaha ‘ajn Samsen jowm tabdi 
jowm taklobha cema ‘ajn al-adim 

12. Sabharow bah w-a‘'gebathom jowm gatna 
w-edtaha billah min ‘ajn ar-ragim 

13. ettecéel billah erkabha w-samm 
w-etesem billah jakak al-cerim 

14. rakkedah lejlén w-at-talet ‘asak 
‘enda-hal gubba w-low ‘okb al-atim 

15. w-as-subh at-tdlet w-fejden teltefet lah 
min wara mambuz warcéha mezim 

16. w-al-asa ar-rdbe: bdiret ‘azwaten li 
mehkama libtit nekkag al-barim 

17. hossahom li bis-saldm w-kil lahom 
hajeren bel-gowf w-al-mar* wahim. 


. Ah, who can bear this! Snatched from my eyelid was 


My weakening slumber by the sharp cold. 


. My reason was going, I weakened, began to writhe, 


Turned from side to side, and bound myself round as 
if [my bone] were broken. 


. The women talked of the cold of rainy season in years 


past, 
They said that it was a joy of this world and paradise. ~ 


. When the Sbdt appeared, among our kinsfolk 


Its poison was hot, as the days of hot baths. 


10. 


Ee 


12: 


13. 


14, 


15. 


16. 


17. 


POETRY d11 


. When our time expires, he who calls will dissolve my 


SOrrows, 
And that sound will set at rest him who now speaks. 


. [have a fleet old she-camel grazing now with al-Wejlan’s 


herd, 
She gayly shakes her head but can be led like any 
thoroughbred. 


. Her father came from ‘Oman, and her mother was marked 


On the thigh with a spindle only. 


. To the cheek of her head the stick will not reach; 


Hot-blooded and tame, as dear as a comrade, she is. 


. If thou observest her stretched knee, shoulder, and 


breastbone 
The first is distant from the second, but this to the third 
How prettily she lifts her fat, short hips, [is near. 


On which a tiny space is left for one more rider, and 
how admirable is her whole shape. 
Her hidden eye is like the eye of the rising sun, 
But if thou strikest her, it is like the eye of a hero 
provoked. 
With eager looks they all gazed at her and desired her 
as soon as she came to us. 
And in Allah’s care I placed her against the evil eye 
of him who was stoned. 
Put thyself in Allah’s care, mount her and eall on Allah’s 
name; 
Trust in Allah and the Most Gracious will protect thee. 
Grant her two nights’ sleep, and on the third night thou 
wilt dine 
With the people of the oasis of Gubba, even if thou 
arrivest there at dark. 
On the third morning Fejd will be on the lookout for her 
And will lie behind her hump. 
And the fourth supper will be in the land of my kinsfolk; 
And may the court decide, if thy leather belt thou wilt 
My greetings give them and say [not burst. 
That one forgotten dwells in al-Gowf on a poor pasture. 


The poet was Muhammad eben ‘Arfeg 4l ‘Ali; the reciters 


‘Abdallah al-Matrid, Hmar abu ‘Awwad, and GwAd al-‘Ani. 
Muhammad eben ‘Arfe& was the representative in the settle- 


512 RWALA BEDOUINS 


ments of the oasis of al-Gowf of Eben ‘Ali, Prince of Hajel. 
He was not comfortable there. Although al-Gowf is protected 
against both the north and west winds, Muhammad complained 
of the severe cold and wished to return to Hajel. He meant 
to make the trip on his old but tried she-camel; in three 
days he would reach Gubba, a settlement lying about 230 
kilometers south-southeast on the road to Hajel; he would 
leave Gubba after midnight and on the fourth day reach Hajel 
about supper time. Thus he meant to cover the distance of 
320 kilometers in four days and half a night. It should be 
born in mind that this route extended for about 280 kilometers 
over sand drifts and that therefore he had to sleep out two 
nights. | 

Verse 1. Garhadij, destroyer, is said of sleep because it 
tends to weaken a man and to make him feel wretched. 4. 
Sbdat corresponds to our February. A north wind makes not 
only the inhabitants of al-Gowf but also those of Hajel shiver 
with cold, as I myself have experienced. Muhammad exag- 
gerates in order to give more than due praise to Hajel. 5. 
Al-munddi, the crier, the commander, was the prince of Hajel, 
to whom the settlements of al-Gowf belonged. The prince 
could summon his governor to Hajel. 6. In the neighbor- 
hood of al-Gowf there is no camel pasture. What grass and 
perennials grow there are cut by the settlers and dried for hay 
that they may have fodder for their own cattle and for the 
animals of their guests and also to sell to the trade caravans. 
It is necessary to drive the camels fifteen kilometers out 
before even a sparse pasturage is found. Any of the settlers 
who possesses a good she-camel places it under the care of 
a reliable Bedouin camping with his clan in the district of al- 
Gowf and sends for it a few days before he desires to depart. 
Muhammad’s she-camel was grazing with the herd of the 
Al Wejlan Bedouins. A spirited, well-rested she-camel often 
stretches her neck backwards, catches the rider’s dress with 
her lips, and touches him with her head. 7. From ‘Oman 
thoroughbred camels are imported. Every tribe, every clan 
brands its camels with marks commonly called wasm. Each 
brand again has a name of its own. The brand of Muhammad’s 
camel is called merzel, owing to its resemblance to a spindle. 
8 means that the camel’s neck is very long. 9. When kneeling, 
the she-camel’s front knees are extended far forward; her 
shoulders are drawn back and nearly reach the breastbone, 


POETRY O13 


which rests on the ground. Ddl stands for ddlek, that. 10. 
To get up on her legs a kneeling she-camel must go through 
three motions. First she lifts her breasts and kneels on her 
forelegs; this is called tanhaz. Then she lifts her back, nowza, 
supporting herself on the toes of the hindlegs; the verb used 
for this action is tanuz; finally she gets up on all fours, tatwr. 
A radif is a person who sits behind the saddle, holding on to 
its rear knob. This rear part of the animal’s back is very 
short, as the hips fall away sharply to the tail. 12. The she- 
camel was brought to Prince Al ‘Ali as a gift, and he again 
presented her to his governor, Muhammad. Sabharow indicates 
that they examined her thoroughly for any possible defects. 
If a subordinate chief brings a gift to his prince and it is 
found on examination to have a defect of any kind, he in- 
jures himself more than if he had given nothing at all. Such 
a gift the slaves then keep for themselves, telling the prince 
that the chief has only brought what he could best spare, 
because nobody wanted to buy it. To prevent his she-camel 
from being bewitched, Muhammad recommended her to Allah’s 
care. 13. Samm stands for sammi, name or call [ Allah’s name]; 
they say: “Bismi-lladh, in Allah’s name,” in order to place the 
camel under Allah’s care. 15. Gaw Fejd lies on the road south 
of Gubba; Fejd therefore at sunrise was already to the north. 
Mambuz warcéha is the fat hump of a she-camel. Mambiuz 
is often used instead of senam, camel’s hump. Hence the verse: 


Ja raceben min fowk mambiuz az-zahr 
hw menwat alli ndheren zerajibeh. 


O thou who ridest a fat-humped camel 
Desired by one who goes to his kin! 


The larger and fatter the hump, the longer will the camel 
endure. If the journey is difficult and no good pasture is found, 
its waning strength is replaced from the fat accumulated in 
the hump. After using this up the animal becomes so weak 
as to be unable to rise. Then it may be months before it 
fully recovers. 16. Bartm was used only for the sake of the 
rime instead of the correct hakw, meaning a belt of from 
four to seven leather strips worn by men on their bare bodies. 
The barim is worn by women. He will enjoy the supper given 
him by his relatives so much that those strips will burst. 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


A Chief, Imprisoned by the Turks at Hama’, Anticipates 


His Liberation by the ‘Akejl 


1. Jekul farhid w-hw bel-habes mactuf 
wa wejli min zejm alli gera’ lu 

2. 74 bedd ma jizfen bena-l-hegen bezluf 
jebren hit kabl ‘asra lejali 

3. w-ehdacas denni lehen kill mashuf 
nikta’ bihen satt al-frat az-zelal 

A, w-etna‘as jirma bihen hezzet as-Sowf 
amma-l-mesire’ w-amma sidren ‘awdali 

5. 14 mad hala en hafen as-Sejh ma‘ruf 
wa-zbejdet alli rds mabnaha ‘ali 

6. telfi ‘ala-l-kusmdn rab‘an bihom nowf 
awlad ‘al murhasa kill ral 

7. slahahom gowzen ‘ala-l-waré marsuf 
dakk al-frangi mitl negm al-mahahi 

8. malbisahom mahid jisral ‘amal suf 
wa-rgdlahom bajjenin swat al-gemali 

9. zebn al-rarib elja nahahom ‘ala-s-sowf 
al-gejs hazer w-bel-fa‘al je‘tena lh 

10. ma kilt hdda illa-na bizg-ziz mactuf 
‘ejal jatuna hin as-swali 

11. maghiidahom jeddtih w-la hom hal ahsif 
ma jisir mitl al-jowm kidhom kubali. 


. Thus speaks Farhtd in the prison fettered: 

“Alas, woe is me for the bondage into which I have fallen! 

. Most surely the she-camels will leave with us on the day 

In order to reach Hit before the tenth night. [appointed, 

. An air-filled skin have ready for each on the eleventh day, 

For on the skin we shall cross the clear stream of the 

Euphrates. 

. On the twelfth with the first daybreak to them will appear 

The caravansary either of al-MeSare® or of [“Altb as- 
Sidr] High Sidr Tree. 

. Oh, how sweet if they may fly to as-Sejh Ma‘rif 

And Zobejde whose monument rises on high, 

. And reach the men from al-Kasim, among whom are famed 

“Ali’s descendants, who find cheap all that is costly. 

. Their arms are a double pistol secured to the hip, 

Made in Europe, shining like stars; 


POETRY O15 


8. Their dress fine cloth made of the best wool. 
Their warriors are like pack camels; 
9. They protect the stranger if only at first sight he has 
asked their help. 
Their riders on camels are ready and by deeds they 
prove their noble minds. 
10. I would not say this, if I were not fettered in a narrow cell: 
‘The youths will come to us at the desired time. 
11. Their hard task they will accomplish, for they are not 
fickle men; 
It shall not be otherwise — in a month from this day 
surely they will be with me.’”’ 


The poet, Farhtid, a chief of the “‘Amarat, was caught 
by the Pasha of Syria in the market place of Hama’ and was 
imprisoned. His friends, ‘Akejl of the “Ali kin, who at that 
period escorted commercial caravans from Bagdad to Syria, 
sent him word that on a certain day they would liberate him 
and bring him back to Bagdad. Overjoyed with hope, Farhtd 
describes in his poem the manner in which the ‘Akejl would 
carry out their plan. Mhammad al-Kazib recited it to me. 

Verse 2. First they would ride from Hama’ east to the 
Euphrates and then along its right bank to Hit, covering about 
70 kilometers a day. 3. From Hit during another day along 
the right bank they would make 55 kilometers; the next day 
they would ford the river opposite the station Rabb. Mashif 
is a Skin boat or small boat. 4. Hezzet as-Sowf or sd‘at as-sowf 
signifies the first break of the day, when objects can just be 
distinguished. Al-MeSare’ and ‘Altb as-Sidr were road taverns 
between al-Ambar and Bagdad. 5. The monuments erected to 
as-Sejh Ma‘rif and as-Sitt Zobejde, the wife of Harun ar- 
Rashid, are on the right bank of the Tigris, where the ‘Akejl 
have always lived and still live. 6. Kusman is the name given 
to those of the ‘Akejl who hail from al-Kasim. This poem 
is known to every ‘Akejli. 


A Chief Is Reproached for His Extortions 


1. Daren biha al-hakran wus mek‘adi bah 
elja sirt gdren w-an hawa’-n-nafs mardud 

2. 7a sfuk thammes ‘elleti w-ente dibah 
hazzejt kowmi hezz ¢affen beargud 


O16 RWALA. BEDOUINS 


. hadi tsadderha w-hdadi tegibah 
w-hadi tsadderha ‘an al-hakk beshud 

4. Gam sabezen 14 Sejh henna negibah 

negibeha ja sfuk w-harb masdud. 


iS) 


1. O camp where conceit reigns! how can that be my resi- 
When I should be a neighbor without freedom? _[dence, 

2. O Sfik, thou tearest my wound anew, thou art its wolf; 

Thou shakest my followers as the hand shakes a bunch 
of dates. 

. This claim thou settlest, again thou bringest another, 

And this plea thou rejectest in spite of law, though 
witnesses are here. 

4. How many victorious runners, O chief, we must yet 
bring to thee, 

And bring them we will, O Sfak, and the flame of the 
war still grows. 


Co 


The poet was a chief of a smaller Sammar clan camping 
in Mesopotamia; the reciter, Prince an-Nari. Sftk al Garba’, 
a Sammar head chief in Mesopotamia, arbitrarily oppressed 
the tribes and clans subject to him, extorted payments of all 
kinds from them, and at the slightest sign of resistance raided 
them as if they were enemies. In consequence a number of 
the smaller chiefs with their followers, kowm or gemd‘a, then 
moved away from his territory and encamped as neighbors 
with other tribes. Our poet had to move too, but fearing to 
lose, as a neighbor of a mean foreign chief, his personal liberty, 
hawa’-n-nafs, he reproached Sfak in his poem with driving 
him to rebellion by his extortions and with compelling him 
to emigrate. 

Verse 2. ‘Argud is the strong stalk from which a bunch 
of dates hangs. When the stalk is struck with the palm of 
the hand the ripe dates fall to the ground. In a manner similar 
to this did Sftik shake our poet’s followers, extorting from 
them various payments and dues. 


A Rebellious Leader Appealed to by the Poet to Make Peace 
with His Chief 
1. Jad smejr eben zejddn was lak bel-ablas 
was lak brabten ma lak w-allah jati‘un 
2. was lak bnakl as-sejf tasrih bidbas 
elja ‘dd mda bis-sejf rusen tekusstin 


POETRY S17 


3. elja ‘ad md bil-bejt tistin harrds 
tisin ma‘ tistin w-elfen jeanntin 
4. ‘abdaléerim ad-ddabb lis-sak nahhas 
en hazz rabsak 7d-ben zejdan jattin 
5. w-allah ma tek‘od merihen ‘ala fras 
w-la tehteni bin-nowm mitl all beh gnin 
6. elja “dd md lak min tendjak nattas 
tara-l-lahem ma jinnetes rejyr bisntin 
7. sejfen belejje rgal ma jeti’ hawwas 
mar as-sulh ahsan mimméa tkilin. 


1. O Smejr eben Zejdan! what profitest thou from thy 
vain efforts? 
What of thy suite, who, by Allah! does not obey thee? 
2. What hast thou of the sword-bearer, whom thou canst 
buy for cattle, 
If with the sword thou cuttest off no heads? 
3. If ninety guards are not in the tent, 
Ninety with ninety andathousand will rise against thee. 
4. A poisonous snake is ‘Abdaléerim, biting the calf; 
If he beckons, thy suite, O Eben Zejdan! will instantly 
reach him. 
5. By Allah! thou wilt not sit on the rug in peace 
Nor sleep in health; thou wilt be as one possessed by 


a demon. 
6. If thou hast no teeth that can bite, 


See, meat cannot be eaten without teeth. 
7. A rebel will not obey a saber without men; 
Hence peace is the best of all ye now relate. 


The poet was one of the Sammar subject to ‘Abdaléerim, 
camping in Mesopotamia; the reciter, Mhammad_ al-Kazib. 
Against the chief ‘Abdaléerim of the Garba’ house his kinsman 
Smejr eben Zejdan rose in rebellion. At first he gained many 
followers by distributing his numerous herds, dbds, among 
them, but soon one man after another left him, when they 
found that Smejr did not know how to command. For this 
reason he is appealed to by the poet to make peace. 

Verse 1. Ablads or balasdt are vain efforts, enterprises, 
aspirations; leh teballes halak means ‘“‘why dost thou tire thy- 
self uselessly?” 4. Dabb is any kind of long snake, 5. W-la 
tehteni or w-la tehtenni means: “but thou wilt not feel easy; 
thou wilt sigh as one possessed by an evil spirit.” 


o18 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


An Anxious Father Sends a Message to His Two Sons 


pat 


Absent in the Hawran 


1. Jd rdceben min fowk ‘asran ‘ala-l-lown 
Silen jehdwezen az-zelle hawati 

2. ‘asran ‘ala ‘asran ahalhen jetbartn 
mitl al-gerid rekadbahen gasijat 

3. fegg al-mendher tuilahen tekel mazun 
kubb az-zlu’ metunhen nabijzati 

4. 7a rows dn entom lehawrdn tebrun 
ja muwaffekin al-hejr sullow wsdats 

5. hodow calamen bes-sanddiz maknin 
calam ahla min halib al-fetati 

6. ballah ‘aleyzkom rajjezu sirb raljun 
elja ma nahott al-heber fowk ad-dwati 

7. w-hifow ‘alejhen elja nawejtu temeddin 
w-hottu. kardmis al-hala’ al-walmati 

8. hottow al-gedi jeminakom ld tetihun 
w-errow an-nasdjem saba‘aten bajjendti 

9. sallem ‘ala-lli maddadini w-halltin 
sejf w-swardi nur ‘ajni Sefati 

10. kil lahom abtkom hdlefen rejr tatuin 
w-en ma lefejtu halefen rejr ati 

11. en can sejdak Zillet al-mdl wa-hzuin 
ma ttawwel al-omr al-kasir al-randti 

12. dinjadk md ddmat lal-djde w-sa‘din 
w-tiffen ‘ala-d-dinja wardha-l-mamati. 


O thou who ridest on one of ten [camels] of the same 
Light gray; which shy at their sisters’ shadow; [ color, 


. All alike are big with young, therefore their owners 


Their necks are hard as bucklers, [follow them. 


. Their chests broad; of equal height they are, as if they 


had been weighed; 
They have arched ribs and bulging shoulders. 


. O youths! if ye desire to go to the Hawran, 


O ye who will succeed! deliver my message. 


. Take my word, in boxes conceal it, 


A word sweeter than young camel’s milk. 


. By Allah! I ask you to halt the time to smoke a pipe 
‘Til we put ink into the inkpot. 


POETRY O19 


7. Order all the burdens to be taken up when ye resolve 
to go on, 
And load the camels with everything that in the desert 
is needed and that is ready. 
8. Keep the North Star on your right, so ye may not lose 
the way, 
And watch the seven stars of the Great Bear that are 
visible. 
9. Greet also those who went away from me and deserted me, 
Sejf and Swardi, the light of my eye, my healing. 
10. Thus to them speak: “Your father swears that ye must 
return, 
And if ye come not to him, he swears that he must 
come to you. 
11. If thou toilest because thou art poor or to gain treasures 
[Know that] wealth does not lengthen a short life; 
12. The world thou livest in lasted forever neither for 
al-Ajde nor Sa‘diin, 
So it is best to spit on a world beyond which there 
is death.” 


A certain Sammari had two sons, Sejf and Swardi, who 
went to the Hawran to earn money. This is done every year 
by many people from the settlements of inner Arabia. They 
generally join the Rwala in their march to Syria, which takes 
place in the latter part of June. In the Hawrdan they help as 
shepherds, reapers, or threshers, receive grain or clothing for 
their work, and return home again with the Rwala. Some stay 
abroad only two months, others several years. As the sons 
of our Sammari had been a long time away, their anxious 
father composed this poem, which was recited to me by Trad 
eben Sattam. When a chief sends out a mission he takes care 
that all ride camels of the same color. The prince of the Rwala 
sends out an embassy of this kind to the Hawran every year, 
before he comes there himself. He sends letters and verbal 
messages to the elders of various settlements, to certain 
officials, and to his confidants, in order to assure himself of 
an undisturbed sojourn and of plenty of supplies. Our Sammari 
happened to see this party, consisting of ten youths on ten 
pale-gray she-camels, this color being the most favored in 
these animals. They resembled each other like sisters. 


O20 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Verse 2. All were big with young, wherefore they were 
followed by their owners, who were unwilling to sell them 
abroad. The animals were to return to their herds so as to 
bring the owners further profit after bearing. Hom jetabaru 
means “they follow” or “they are coming after us.” Tekel, 
instead of the correct tekil, “thou mightest say.” 3. A hard, 
therefore erect, neck, broad breast, arched ribs, and bulging 
fleshy shoulders are considered good qualities in a camel. 4. Mu- 
waffekin al-hejr, has the same meaning as Sdjefin al-hejr, 
perceiving luck. Swili for wasseli or selu, “Make to reach” or 
‘Bring!’ Row4, or ‘ejal, indicates youths of eighteen to twenty 
years, also heroes gallant in war. 5. Sanduik is a small box, 
case, or chest, a rare thing among the Rwala. The prince alone 
has one 50 centimeters long, 30 wide, and 20 high, in which he 
keeps his papers and money. As the common Bedouin thinks 
that every box is filled with gold, the traveler must wrap 
his cases containing scientific instruments in sacks, lest they 
arouse a desire for booty. The youths are to guard our poet’s 
message like a treasure box. Fetijje is a she-camel from six 
to ten years old; the milk of such fetdt is said to taste the 
best. 6. Razjezd, wazzefi, wazfu or ta awwakt, mean “Halt!” 
“Stop!” or “Wait!” Raljun is a tobacco pipe with a long 
stem; among the Rwala it is used only by women. Heber is 
a dry powder made from gallnuts and green vitriol which is 
put into an inkpot and mixed with water. 7. “Hufu ‘alejhen”’ 
shouts the caravan leader to his comrades when the saddled 
camels have risen with their loads; thus he orders them to 
look around the camping place to see if anything has been 
forgotten, to examine whether the burdens are placed on the 
camels so as not to overbalance or gall the animals and whether 
the straps are tight, the saddles do not lean to one side, ete. 
Kardémis al-hala is the outfit needed in the desert, such as 
waterproof bags filled with water, flour, dry locusts, matches, 
and the like. Many a rider would take all kinds of supplies 
when going to the desert, but if he has to leave in a hurry, 
he has to be satisfied with what is just handy or ready, walmdat. 
8. The road from al-Gowf to the Hawran leads almost directly 
northwest; the North Star is therefore against the rider’s right 
shoulder. An-na‘ajem saba‘a are the seven principal stars of 
the Great Bear. 12. Al-Ajde is a division of the Weld ‘Ali, 
famous for its wealth, as are also the Al Sa‘diin, the house 
of the head chief of the Muntifez tribe. 


POETRY O21 


A Bedouin Yearns to Live in the Settled Country 


1. Lejtani min al-hazran w-askon bdire 
 bdireten nabtah basdtin wa-nhil 
2. biren wast’ w-zZammteh mustadire 
w-adni “alegh ar-regga al-kunnas al-hil 
d. wa-dlijena mda Zil bihen sarire 
w-sa° al-frur mugaddefat as-sahalil 
4. w-akul hal’? lowld ja nhil al-cetire 
ma hw rala? bemkarkamat as-semasil 
5. mandhen ma jiret ‘alejna mare 
w-tinsth min ba‘ad ar-ragal al-mardmil 
6. negren w-mihmds ‘ala gal cre 
w-adni dlal as-sam hen w-al-fandgil 
7. kalbt gwedd alli sahifen zamireh 
as-sahb alli waddar al-kalb tawdir 
8. 7@ rosen mowz nademen bizebire 
raseh ‘ala tall w-gid‘eh ‘ala sil 
9. “adru bah mdr tawha sarire 
ja mal ja rosen as-Sebab at-temahil 
10. nahdeh zbejdi lebbeten bemhire 
id nazz miznen mugaddefat al-hamdlil. 


. Oh, may I be of the settlers and live on lands cultivated, 
In regions where gardens and palms thrive. 
. To a large well with a round footboard 
I would bring tried, fat, sterile she-camels. 
. Our buckets no one would e¢all small, 
And when emptied they would pour forth water in floods. 
. Thus I say, how sweet it were if many palm trees 
With yellow luxuriant twigs would sprout. 
. If we had a house hospitable, not to be ashamed of, 
Sighted from afar by men who have consumed their 
supplies, 
. And a mortar with pan for roasting coffee by a heap 
of red-hot coals, 
And Damascus pots with cups at hand. 
. My soul would desire a slender-waisted 
Mistress who would cut out my heart. 
. O twig of the gentle banana in the orchard 
With its head moistened by the dew and its roots by 
the creek. 


522 RWALA BEDOUINS 


9. They pleaded: ‘“‘But she is so small yet,” 
O my dear! O twig to whom for its youth respite must 
be given! 
10. Her breast is a zbejdi growing in an overflowed vale, 
The drops of sweat of the black clouds, pouring forth 
a rain shower. ° 


The poet was al-Herbid eben Swejd of the Singara tribe be- 
longing to the Sammar in Negd; the reciters, ‘Ebéi, a Sammari 
serving as a herdsman with the Rwala, Mhammad al-Kazib, 
and Hmar abu ‘Awwad. The poet had several times visited 
the settlements lying on the lower Euphrates, to buy grain. 
Being greatly pleased with his stay there, he longed to live 
in the settled country permanently, and to this wish he gives 
expression in our poem. He would have liked to own a large 
palm grove and an extensive orchard, which he would irrigate 
from a spacious well by a big leather bag with the help of 
fat she-camels. On the palms he desired many yellow twigs 
to sprout, growing into bunches of dates. There was to be a 
common house for entertaining guests, with a coffee set. Then 
he would marry a very young girl, for whom he would have 
to wait some time yet. 

Verse 1. Dire is the name given by the Bedouins to the 
tilled territory where they go for-their supplies and the in- 
habitants of which pay them tribute. 2. Zammateh mustadire 
signifies a round hard footpath trodden by the animal raising 
water. Ar-regga° al-kunnas al-hil are she-camels accustomed 
to turning a flush wheel and not used for breeding pur- 
poses; they graze in the garden. 3. On a large flush wheel 
there often hang twenty buckets made of either burnt clay 
or leather, dlije, which are emptied into a trough opening 
into either a reservoir or an irrigation ditch. Mugaddefat as- 
Sahalil are such large buckets from which the water pours in 
a flood. 4. Mkarkamdadt as-Semdsil are the yellow twigs growing 
luxuriantly in the top of the palm tree from which, later on, 
bunches of dates will hang. 5. In the settlements a certain 
room is usually set aside for the common guests, where 
they live during their sojourn and where they also receive 
food sent them from the different houses in succession. This 
guest room should bear a sign on the outside, so that it may 
be found easily by the traveler. 7. Waddar al-kalb tawdir 
implies that he would marry, for love, a girl who would cut 


POETRY O20 


out his heart as if with scissors or a knife, and keep it. 
8. Zebire is a well cultivated orchard in which the banana 
bush thrives. His beloved must resemble a banana branch 
which grows from a strong stalk, is thin in the middle, but 
spreads out towards the top where it bears the ripe or ripening 
fruit. 10. Zbejdi are truffles, small, round and of delicate taste. 
Mahire is a shallow basin fertilized by evaporating surface 
water. In the sejf season rain, hamdalil, pours down from 
the dark clouds copiously but is of no long duration. It is 
said that after such rains the soil sweats and the drops of 
Sweat appear in the shape of mushrooms. A mushroom emerg- 
ing from the ground is called nazz. 


A Slubi Yearns to Be a Bedouin 


1. Ja-llah talabtak rafran w-genna 
w-asa nasibi ‘enda mawlaji mabih 
2. sallem gwdden ‘end-ahalna muzanna 

deranaha jasden ad-derf as-sebabih 
do. alan lacajni gill halfdthenna 

w-asajeren terga® lehess al-masdlih 
4. at'an w-alheg al-ud fenna 

elja dall ‘asiz al-bnijjat at-tamamih. 


1. O Allah! pray, forgiveness and paradise grant me; 
May my fate, as willed by my Lord, be made clear to me. 
2. Greet for me the steed which our kin knows, 
Whose forelegs imitate the swimmer’s motion. 
3. I long to stab, for the sake of the eyes of the large 
milking camels 
And the camels big with young, returning when they 
hear the voice of the careful herdsmen. 
4. I long to stab and strike with the spear cunningly, 
When fear fills the heart of the hero of the women 
who are weary of their husbands. 


The poet was an unknown Slubi; the reciter, Nawwaf 
eben an-Niari eben Sa‘lan. A certain Slubi, or member of the 
despised Slejb tribe, hired himself out as a free servant, fedawz, 
to the chief Eben Gandal of the Rwala, fondly hoping to become 
a rider and warrior like any Rwejli. This wish he expressed 
in this poem. 


324 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Verse 1. Mawldji, my Lord, is Allah, by whom the fate 
of every man is foreordained. 2. The Slejb come in contact 
with the Bedouins when they camp in the inner desert, and 
thus the poet’s relatives had the opportunity of seeing the 
horse which he, as a fedawi, was now to ride. 3. Halfdt are 
she-camels which are milked after giving birth to young. “ASsd- 
jer is the name given to the same she-camels, when, after 
ten or twelve months, they are led to the male camel and 
become pregnant again. Then they cease to give milk. When 
a she-camel becomes pregnant, she is called ‘asra; if she remains 
barren, hdjel. On the return from the pasture a good herds- 
man constantly shouts a certain phrase in order to direct his 
camels, so that they will not wander astray with others. 4. Fenna 
are the various methods and feints used in throwing spears, 
which the Slubi desires to learn. At-tamdmih are married 
women dissatisfied with their husbands and-longing for better 
and braver men. The favorite of such women surpasses all 
others in bravery, but our Slubi means to stand fast even 
when the favorite becomes afraid and flees. 


A Bedouin Warns the Slubi Against Changing 
His Vocation 


Our Slubi spoke like a true Rwejli, but his comrade, a 
Rwejli serving with Eben Gandal, answered in this manner: 


1. Jd-bu-l-hala hattejt bel-kalb wenne 
kubb al-hejdla 74 msawwi-z-zandnih 
2. kdrak bwejten bel-hala la tzel ‘anneh 
wa-clab giddak kateran at-tanabih 

3. ja-lli hamirak kill ressen watanneh 
tarfa hadémeh bel-hasab w-as-salafith. 


1. O dweller in the barren desert! thou hast laid up sorrow 
in thy heart. 

Do thou no longer ride a horse, O thou maker of leather 
patches for elbow and knees! 

2. Thy work is in the small tent in the barren desert, so 
leave neither it 

Nor the dogs inherited from thy grandfather, the dogs 
who always bark. 


POETRY O25 


3. O thou, whose donkeys have trampled down every foun- 
tain where they have drunk, 

What is destroyed thou must repair with timber and 
stone. 


The Rwejli warns the Slubi not to change his vocation 
and urges him to return to his people. 

Verse 1. The Rwala call every Slubi. Abu-l-Hala, the father 
of the desert, i.e. the dweller in the barren desert. Al-hala 
is to the Bedouin any region where his camels cannot subsist 
in a particular year. But the Slubi remains with his asses and 
a few goats even in such places. In the plural the Slejb are 
not called Awlad al-Hala, but Awlad Ranem, owing to their 
belief that they all have the same progenitor, Ranem. The 
Slubi has laid up sorrow in his heart because he will be dis- 
appointed. The word kubb is used of spilling dirty water or 
casting aside a useless occupation. Zandnih are oval pieces of 
antelope skin which the Slejb tie over their knees and elbows 
when crawling after game. They usually cover themselves with 
the twigs of perennials, giving themselves the appearance of 
long bushes, and then crawl carefully on their elbows and knees 
to the herds of gazelles, of antelopes, and even of ostriches. 
2. The Slejb keep many common dogs, which guard their flocks 
against the wolves and hyenas by day and night. 3. They never 
camp near the large watering places, where they might meet 
with the Bedouins, whom they avoid as much as possible. 
However, they know every shallow well in channels filled with 
coarse sand. In the rainy season the water flows down into 
the rocky channels, forming after long rains a stream which 
fills the scorched channel for several days, until the surface 
water evaporates in the hot sun and only the remainder flows 
under the coarse sand, filling all the hollows and pits of the 
rocky bottom. These hollows are known to the Slejb, who shovel 
away the sand and gravel, wall in the hollow so that it may 
not sink in, cover it with branches and turf, and then pile 
on sand, to keep out the sun and hide the water from strangers. 
When in need of water, they open these hollows, water their 
donkeys, fill their water bags, and carry them to their tents. 
The thirsty donkeys frequently trample down the water hole 
which they have just emptied, compelling the Slubi to repair 
it before the coming of new rains, if his family and his flock 
are not to suffer from thirst. 


526 RWALA BEDOUINS 


The Poet, Bitten by a Mad Dog and Abandoned by His Kin, 
Laments to a Friend 


1. Jd wenneti wennet rarib ad-darawis 
katti: al-hagg alli ‘ala-d-dar hall 

2. 74 hmid ‘azzed li w-ani tehet bersis 
w-lad min hali wledat haldlen fatan lt 

3. ana ‘aziz al-ralt low Zil md@ bis 
al-arbain muzarreben hetnehen li 

4. amsi ‘ala ‘ajn al-arab cann’? ma bis 
amsi w-low ma hatri musfehel li 

5. al-ma‘ana 7a gawid ‘afin hali lés 
nessin mitl al-kalb wa’ lad éenn? halen li 

6. tamm al-wa‘'ad ja gwad w-bdanat twaris 
al-jowm w-al-jowmén mad-ni-tmalli. 


1. This is my lament, the lament of a strange dervish 

Parted from the pilgrim throng and left on the camp- 
ing ground. 

2. O Hmid, take care of me who have been ensnared, 
For among my kin is no honest man who would think of me. 

3. Iam bitten by a mad dog, though they say nothing ails me. 
Near is the fortieth day appointed for me. 

4. I could walk before the Arabs as if nothing ailed me, 
Walk I could, though my entrails were filled with unrest. 

5. What should it mean, O daring one! that my kin shun me? 
Like a dog, driving me away; ah! they cannot be my kin. 

6. My time is drawing to its end, O hero, and the symptoms 
In a day or two I shall no more enjoy life. [ appear; 


The poet, a member of the DahamSe tribe, had been bitten 
by a mad dog. His relatives dragged him to a water hole, 
gave him salt, flour, and dried dates to last him forty days, 
and threatened him with death should he leave the place and 
come near them before the forty days had expired. About 
that time the rabies is supposed to declare itself. The injured 
man had to stay in the desert all by himself. His faithful 
comrade, Hmtid, was on a raid at that time. Hearing on his 
return of the misfortune, serv, which had befallen his friend, 
he rode to him despite his kinsfolk’s warning of the contagion, 
thirty-eight days having passed since the accident. The sick 
man is supposed to have composed this poem for Hmtd. The 
reciter was TareS eben Melfi ad-Dahmasi. 


POETRY O27 


Verse 1. The wandering dervishes come from China, India, 
and Persia to Irak, where they join the moving clans or the 
pilgrims, so that they may reach al-Medina or Mecca. The 
Bedouins look after them, passing them on from tribe to tribe, 
but the pilgrims pay no attention to them. If a dervish is 
stricken with disease, they leave him lying on the camping 
ground without any scruples as to his fate, which is usually 
death. 2. Walad al-haldl is an honest, godly man. 4. Musfehel 
has the same meaning as mukajjef, in good spirits, happy. 
6. Twaris or ‘aldjem are symptoms of disease. 


RIDDLES 


The Rwala love to solve riddles, habawa, clothing them 
always in poetical garb. The following were told me by Gwad 
al-‘Ani, the third one having been known also to Hmar abu 
“Awwad. 


Ansedk ‘an saba’ masmijjat 

la jetihen w-lad jebihen ‘atizat gediddat 

kill men misa’ misa’? bihen alli haji w-alli mat. 
I ask thee for seven already named: 
They err not, cannot be forgotten, are both old and new, 
Whoever walks in them walks in life and in death.’ 


Answer: Sbu‘, the seven days of the week. 


Ansedk ‘an hamsen gill 
lad hen hejl w-la hen bil 
etnén bisams w-taldten bzill. 


About the important five I ask thee — 
It is not horses, not camels; 
Two are in the sun and three in the shade. 


Answer: Salawdt, the five prescribed prayers. 


Ansedk ‘an sven salla-l-hejl w-an-niik 

w-kill al-bwadi bil-mahabbe sallaha 

tezhak leh al-biz al-‘addra 

sahaf rowk jarmi karanis al-kata’ min saméha. 


For a thing that rejoices mares and she-camels I ask thee — 
That cheers the whole desert with love; 


328 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Fair women have smiles for it, 
While anxiety for it brings down even the wild foes of 
the kata? from heaven. 


Answer: Zana, progeny, offspring. 


Sahaf rowk is grief, sorrowing or anxiety for children. 
Gwad said “kardnis,’ Hmar “kardnis.” Kardnis means “birds 
already feathered,” thus “adult.” Kardnis al-kata’ are the old 
kata, sand grouse, who abandon their flights when anxiety for 
their young seizes them. They nest generally in low plains 
covered with luxuriant grasses and perennials, the seeds of 
which furnish the young with their first food. From these 
nesting places the kata’ often flies as much as a hundred 
kilometers to watering places. According to Hmar kardnis al- 
kata’? are falcons hunting the kata’. They too abandon hunt- 
ing when overcome by anxiety for their young. 


A Sarari who had never seen a goose asked a Rwejli what 
it looked like and said: ‘“‘What has it in common with a gazelle?” 
The answer was: “Its unsteadiness and timidity.” “And what 
with a white antelope?” “The smoothness of its hair and the 
eye.” “What with an ostrich ?” “Thin calves and its manner 
_ of moving.” Then our Sarari said with glee: ‘Allah be praised! 
now I know what a goose looks like!” 


Crics Pel ER xT 
CAMELS 


According to a Rwala tradition the Bedouins originally 
had no camels and the Jews no horses. The Jews camped in 
the almost inaccessible mountain rifts of the al-Hazb district 
in the Hegaz. No Bedouin would ever visit them, fearing to 
lose his way and fall into some of the rocky gorges there. 
But once the Bedouins made a raid on a tribe encamped 
alongside al-Hazb. Their guide, a herdsman, claimed know- 
ledge of every path in the whole district; yet even he lost 
his way among the rocks of the Hegaz. This impressed on the 
Bedouins the inhospitality of this territory, and they begged 
Allah not to send even their worst enemies there for punish- 
ment when they died. The raiders crawled from one ravine 
into another but could not disentangle themselves from the 
wild rocks. They ate up everything they had taken with them 
for the raid, killed some horses, and cooked their flesh, but 
still could not find their way out to the plain. At last they 
met a traveler, whom they asked for the nearest camp, and 
were told that there were some Jews close by. Then the 
traveler conducted them by a narrow path across isolated 
crags divided by ravines, till they saw in a large gully shut 
in by hillsides the black tents of the Jews and before and 
among them curious animals, such as they had never seen 
before. The traveler told them they were camels, bel. The 
Bedouins concealed themselves on the heights and after sun- 
rise, leading their horses by the reins, descended into the gully, 
where they prepared to attack the Jews. These fled in fear 
on sighting the strangers mounted on animals unknown to 
them, but their white she-camels escaped even before them. 
Every pure white she-camel, wazha, in the camp broke the 
tent ropes barring its way and ran to the neighboring gullies, 
while the she-camels known as zerka, which are also white 
but with some black or almost blue hairs, looked at the Be- 
douins and their horses inquisitively and were captured with 
ease. Then it was that the Bedouin leader exclaimed: ‘May 
Allah not bless thee! ld j7ebdreé bic,’ and commanded his men 

329 


330 RWALA BEDOUINS 


to kill every zerka calf found in the camp. Again led by the 
traveler, the Bedouins now surrounded the place to which the 
Jews had fled and robbed them of the she-camels still in their 
possession. Since that time the Jews have kept no camels, 
satisfying their needs with sheep and goats but still hoping 
that the she-camels will return to them. They never tire of 
making leather buckets for drawing water as well as leather 
troughs; they fill them with water every Friday and, rapping 
on them, expect the camels to appear, but in vain, ragw al- 
jehud min al-bel. 


CAMELS OF DIFFERENT AGES AND KINDS 


Bel®, a feminine noun, means camels in general. This 
word is never used in speaking of particular animals. ‘“Al-bel 
wuhidat, the camels were captured,” is a common saying. 
Camels belonging to a certain clan or kin are designated by 
the words tars or debes. For “your camels were captured” 
the expression is ‘‘tarskom” or “debaskom wuhid,” for “an 
attack was made on them,” “vir ‘alejh.” “Debaskom wén wa- 
gah” means “whither are your camels gone?” 

Bair is the common name for a camel, regardless of sex. 
The sentence: ‘Your camel is lost, lekom ba‘tren radi,” implies 
that one animal was lost, without stating whether a he- or 
she-camel is meant. Up to ten heads the plural is ba%rdt or 
ba‘rin; a larger, unspecified number is abd‘er. 

Gemal is the word for a camel between its sixth and 
twentieth year. A plural of this word is never formed. “How 
many grown camels (males) have you?” is expressed by the 


9 Of the names given by the Rwala to the various parts of a camel’s body (Fig. 35) 
I noted down: 


1. ‘agn 19. derwa, rds as-sanadm 37. sirr 
2. ‘arniina 20. menéeb 88. obta 
3. hasm 21. daffa’ 39. zor 
4. bortom 22. gamb 40. kas 
5. famm 23. sulb 41. ‘agda 
incisors: tendje; eye- 24. cilwe 42. rukba 
teeth: nibdn 25. mardefa 43. dra® 
6. Sizz 26. ‘urik 44. haff 
7. hanacén 27. fahad 45. rasas 
8. lahje 28. dél 46. manhar, madbah 
9. hegag root of the tail: 47. gifgser 
10. hegr, hasa’ ‘okrat ad-dél posteriors: ‘ardra, tejz 
11. idn 29. Sebib sexual organ: hejf 
12: fads 30. tafne testicles: hosjan 
13. hdma . 81. ‘arktib sexual organ of a she- 
14. mosan 32. sdk camel: sabba 
15. ‘elba 33. bergim udder: dejd 
16. dkajjeé ar-rkuba 34. mafrak az-zmu° teats: stir. 
17. rareb, cetf 35. gufr 


18, sandm 36. fersem 


CAMELS dol 


short sentence “cam gemal ‘endakom,”’ the answer being: 
“We have four or nine grown camels, ‘endana arba‘a la tis‘a 
zwamel.” Thus instead of the plural of gemal a different 
word, zwdmel, is used. A herd of grown camels (males) is 


RIN 
1 NK AHS . 


40% " Ls Yphss 


Fic. 35—Diagram of a camel. 


never called raijjet al-gemal, but always raijjet az-zemil. 
Zemajel are male or female camels that carry loads, if they 
do not number more than ten. 

Naka (pl. ni7ak) is used only in speaking of a grown 
she-camel — that is from her fifth year onwards. In the year 
in which the ndka bears a calf she is known as halfa, the 
next year when again led to the bull she is called ‘asra (pl., 
“asdjer). When seen to be big with young, she is referred to 
as lkaha (pronounced ’kahha). A sterile naka is called hdajel 
(pl., hil). 


Do2 RWALA BEDOUINS 


A ruhiil (pl., rahdjel) is a ndka which can be used for both 
riding and carrying lighter loads. 

Delul means solely a riding camel regardless of sex, al- 
though the idea of a she-camel predominates. No plural is made 
from this word, réab being used for ten or less, while a larger 
number is expressed by the word ge7s. This may refer, however, 
to the riding camels and their riders also. 

Camels are divided into the thoroughbreds, horr, and the 
common kind, ‘az. A camel is considered a thoroughbred only 
when, on the testimony of trustworthy witnesses, it springs 
from a thoroughbred sire and a thoroughbred dam. If the 
mother was covered in the absence of trustworthy witnesses, 
then her calf is not recognized as thoroughbred, as in such 
a case it is uncertain whether its sire was of pure blood, md 
jin‘aref abtih asleh mad hw mazbit. If a well-shaped she-camel 
of the common sort is covered by a thoroughbred bull and the 
same is done with her female descendants, then a she-camel 
sprung from this line is recognized as a thoroughbred, horr, 
in the fifth, and the male camel in the ninth, generation, 
jarga° horr “ala tis‘a. The best camel breeds are the ‘omdnijje, 
sararijje, htejmijje, and tihijje, indicating the place of their 
origin: ‘Oman, and the territories of the Sararat, Htejm, and 
Tijaha respectively. 

A stud camel is called hedide. The rutting period is the 
coldest season of the year, from December 11 to January 21. 
A rutting camel, jehiz, haz az-zeml, hadir, jehadder or jehd- 
der, is very restless, kicks, hits out with its head, bites, mur- 
murs, and froths at the mouth, jezabbed or tatla‘ deriteh (sic). 
The question is frequently heard among the Bedouins: ““When 
are you going to lead in your she-camels? mata theddin baba- 
‘erkom,” the answer generally being: “We are waiting for a 
favorable sign on this or that day, natna al-wagbet al-flanijje 
wa-nhedd.” On Monday, Thursday, and Saturday they do not 
like to lead their she-camels to the bull, for these days are 
considered the most suitable for undertaking raids, and the 
Bedouins fear lest with the she-camels the enemy should capture 
also their young begotten on these days. Therefore they prefer 
Friday and Sunday, but only with such animals as are un- 
mistakably ready. A she-camel in that condition, mujasser, 
kneels down every little while, is loath to rise, murmurs, tarri, 
and as soon as she hears the murmur of a rutting male even 
breaks her fetters, runs to the bull, kneels, spreads out her 


CAMELS Doo 


hind legs, tefahheg, and urinates. No charge is made for lead- 
ing in, zrdb, the animal. On the seventh day the she-camel 
is brought to the camel again. If she refuses to kneel, holds 
her neck arched, te‘agged, neither lifts her tail, tesdwel, nor 
murmurs, it is certain that the seed, menn, has acted. Then 
She is called pregnant, ‘asarat; up to the forty-fifth day she 
is known as me‘ser, after that as lkaha. 

She-camels big with young must be watched carefully lest 
they pasture on injurious plants. The most dangerous plant 
in this respect is the kurb. If a pregnant animal eats much 
of it a miscarriage, as‘adat, is sure to follow; she is then 
called said. Such a camel can be milked only when a calf 
is standing close by. In the last month of her pregnancy the 
camel is called muti (pl., mwadtrc). Then it is again necessary 
to watch her because of her natural impulse to run away to 
some deep gully or to hide, tenza‘ or naza‘at, among crags or 
sand drifts, there to bear her young. If not found soon by 
her owner or herdsmen, the calf generally perishes by falling 
a prey to wild beasts. The place where a camel should par- 
turiate is in front of the tent. 

A she-camel carries her young at least twelve months, 
bears it in February or March, and nurses it a whole year. 
During the suckling time she is called halfa. For the first 
ninety days the calf is fed on milk only, 7emuss leben, which 
it can have whenever it wishes. During this period it is called 
hwar (pl., hirdn). Beginning with the season of al-kéz (June- 
October), during which it is allowed to suck only three times 
a day and learns to graze, it is known as mahlul (pl., mahalil). 
At the first appearance of fresh grass the calf is weaned and 
is then called mafriud or mefarrad (pl., mafdrid). Thus a camel 
is in its second year by the time it is called mafrid. 

In its third year the camel is called either hezz (fem., 
hezze; pl., hekdjez or hekeka), or has, or lezi (fem., lezijje; pl., 
lezjan), meaning “meeting,” as it will meet its little brother 
or sister which its mother is going to bear in the beginning 
of the third year. 

In the fourth year it is called ged‘ (fem., ged‘a; pl., ged°an 
or gill). 

In the fifth year, when it is known as teni (fem., tenij7e; 
pl., tenjan), meaning “changing [teeth], it grows new incisors. 

In her sixth year the she-camel is called rub‘ (pl., rubsdn) 
and can be covered by the bull for the first time. The next 


Do4 RWALA BEDOUINS 


three years of the she-camel’s life are called glis, the different 
years being known as the first gils, awwal gils, the second 
and the third gils. In her tenth year a she-camel is known 
as nusuf (without a plural), and this name she retains to her 
twentieth year; from then until her death she is a fdter (pl., 
futtar). 

Young she-camels between their first and eighth year of 
age are commonly called bakra (pl., abkdr); between the sixth 
and tenth year, fetij7e (pl., fetat). 

Young male camels for the first six years, until their 
eye-teeth, niban, become fully developed, are called ka‘ tid, (pl., 
Za°ddn). 

From his sixth to his twentieth year the camel is called 
gemal (pl. zeml, zwadmel or zemdjel) and from his twentieth 
year to his last day, hers (pl., heresa). 

A good she-camel has small ears pointed like a spear 
blade, eddnaha mitl al-ehrdb; eyes shining like red coals, 
‘ajinaha mitl al-haladsa; a neck arched like the stalk of a 
date bunch, rukubatha mitl al-gerida; the shoulders are mus- 
cular, ‘azuidaha mubramdt; both the breastbone and hoofs 
small, zowraha w-haffaha sarir; the shoulder blades bulging, 
nabijet al-menéeb; the axillae, obtaha, the lower rib borders, 
tafh az-zli*, and the chest, gifser, are broad; the thighs finely 
shaped, zénat al-fhid; she is narrow in the loins, z@merat 
as-sulb, and the hump is exactly above the abdomen, send- 
maha markiz fowk sirraha. A hard and therefore erect neck, 
broad breast, arched ribs, and a bulging hip covered with flesh 
are likewise signs of the good qualities which a she-camel 
Should have. 

The camels are variously colored, the Bedouins having a 
special name for each shade. 

They dislike white animals with some black hairs, zerka. 
Calves of this color are generally killed. Those that are not 
killed are sold to the settlers but never used for breeding. 

Pure white is the most favored of all. A white she-camel 
is called wagha’. Up to ten heads the plural, wuzguh, is used; for ~ 
a larger, indefinite number, mardtir. If the brows and fia tail 
of a she-camel are also pure white, her name is wazha rhama, 
but if she has black hairs there she is called wazha mukah- 
hala, and if she is creamy white all over, wazha ratra. A white 
she-camel with a shade of pink color is known as Sakha (pl., 
Sikh); if of rose tinge, Sakha? mrara’. 


CAMELS Doo 


A light-brown she-camel is known as hamra (pl., humr). 
If the forelegs are a shade lighter, she is a hamra hagla’; with 
hghter spots on the breast, hamra zraba’. A bright brown she- 
camel without a shade of another color is called hamra da- 
mijje or damin; if the hair around her jaw and nose is a 
little darker, hamra drama’. 

An animal of yellowish color is called safra’. If the color 
recalls dibs, or grape sugar, she is known as safra’ dabsa’. 
That colored like roasted coffee beans is safra’? habbet al- 
khawa; when of a still darker shade, resembling coffee already 
made, she is called safra ‘abddijje. 

An ash-gray she-camel is known as Sa‘la (pl., Ssi‘el). 

Matha is a black she-camel; if glossy like a raven she is a 
malha rurabijje. A malha hassa has hair of the same-color but 
curly. No more than ten heads are designated by the words 
milh or megehmat; for larger numbers, megdahim is used. 

The Bedouins give each she-camel a name according to 
her real or alleged individual qualities, asdmi-l-bel bwugihah. 
For example: Tafha, Tajjaha, Sarha’, ‘Agila’, Hartfa, “Awga’, 
Balha, Rima, Bwéza, Sa‘éla, ‘Alja’, Duhejna, Mléha, Sahla, 
RabSa, TamSa, ‘Ejda,. Gerida, ‘Amra’, Sa‘fa, etc. 

Each animal bears a mark, either branded or cut in, of 
the tribe and kin to which it belongs, wasm. 

Pure white she-camels the Rwejli likes the best of all. 
Although he knows that he cannot use them on a dangerous 
trip because of their color, which makes them conspicuous to 
the enemy at a great distance at night as well as by day, and 
although he also knows that every robber or raider prefers the 
white animals to all others, nevertheless he continues to breed 
them. It is as if he enjoys playing with the danger threaten- 
ing his favorite animals, and, the greater the risk, the more 
white she-camels he wishes to have. As long as he has less 
than ten he calls them wuzguh, but when his little herd has 
grown to eleven he uses the word mardtir. A herd of white 
she-camels is generally owned by the whole clan under the 
control of the chief, and every animal of that color captured 
in a raid is added to it. As soon as the number of the mardtir 
has reached a hundred, a second herd is formed. The mardatir 
are the pride of both the clan and tribe, especially if the herd 
has not been captured by the enemy for the past fifty years. 
Then it is called al-‘eli, it is talked of in the whole desert, 
and the bravery of the clan that owns it is praised by all, 


336 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Since it is universally known that the enemy always tries 
first to capture the pure white animals. The reputation and 
glory, ‘arf w-nowmdads, of a clan depends chiefly on its white 
herd, for which reason the mardtir herdsmen are selected 
from the most prudent and brave youths, and at a time of 
particular danger this herd is usually driven to a safe hiding 
place. Furthermore, a pure white animal is killed only when 
too old or wounded. Its hair is carefully gathered by the women 
and girls for weaving the finest bags carried on the camel 
saddles. 


PASTURING OF CAMELS 


The camels pasture in either small or large herds. A herd 
up to ten heads is called hesle (pl., hSel); a larger one, ra%ij7e 
(pl., ra‘dja) or kati‘a (pl., kat‘dn); if a herd-numbers seventy 
to eighty animals it is known as zowd. A little herd owned 
by a small familly is called dwejd. 

Each herd has its own herdsman, rd% al-bel, who is hired 
for ten months and, according to the size of the herd, is paid 
either two megidijjat, a suit of clothing, and shoes, or merely 
six megidij7at, besides receiving one young male camel, either 
a mahlul, a mafruid, or even a hezz. It is also his duty to 
help with the loading and unloading and to bring all the water 
needed. The herdsman addresses his employer as his host, 
muazzeb. Many herdsmen enjoy great esteem, and the hosts 
undertake nothing without asking their advice. 

In the morning the herdsman gets a warm breakfast — 
usually warmed-over remains from the supper. While he is eat- 
ing, the herd grazing near by is watched by the host himself, 
or by his son or daughter, jezahhihen. Having breakfasted, the 
herdsman sticks a piece of bread or a handful of boiled wheat 
into his clothing, throws a pouch filled with water over his 
shoulder, takes a heavy staff, madruib, mounts the leading 
she-camel, ka‘ada, and begins to praise the pasture in short 
sentences, which he intones in a drawling manner, jegdeb 
lehen. On hearing his voice, the animals cease grazing and 
follow his lead. His she-camel, the ka‘ada, keeps always in 
the rear. Having thus all the animals of his herd before him, 
the herdsman drives them to the pasture, jesrah (or jefalli) 
bel-ba‘rin jamm al-mafla’. The animals of a herd going 
to the pasture, at-tars as-sdreh, usually form a single line, 


CAMELS Dol 


mgowdaldat, keeping in the path trodden by camels for centu- 
ries past; it is very seldom, and then only in a level plain where 
the grass is fresh, that they move side by side, mufarsdat. Once 
on the pasture grounds, the she-camels graze together, merta‘dt 
hwaléhen. The herdsman sits down in some higher place the 
better to overlook his herd, sings, carves something, or seeks 
edible plants and bulbs. About noon when the heat is at its 
highest, hakmat (or sankarat or kajjalat) al-Za%le, the she- 
camels leave off grazing, kneel down, jebarreken or mubar- 
recat, and chew their cuds till two or three o’clock. Then they 
rise again and graze till supper time, je‘assen, when the 
herdsman turns them in the direction of the camp and drives 
them back, reaching the tent at sunset. At that time all the 
youths and slaves ride out from the camp, on horseback and 
in small groups, zerfdat, to protect the returning herds from 
a possible attack. 

When satiated the she-camels move very slowly, stopping 
every little while. The herdsman mounts the leading animal, 
ka‘ada, and rides at the head of his herd, urging it to greater 
speed with a short drawling song, jesdje.. The ditty sung by 
the herdsman to keep the returning herd together is called 
mesja°. Every herdsman has a song of his own, which differs 
from those used by others in the words as well as in the 
cadences of the tone and the length of the syllables. Were it 
not for this singing, the camels of the same herd would never 
keep together, but would get lost among the thousands of 
animals returning home after sunset. On arriving at his tent 
the herdsman remains sitting on his she-camel, which he halts; 
he keeps on singing the mesja° while he waits for the whole 
herd to come in. Then, dismounting, he takes the cords handed 
to him by the host, makes each animal kneel down in the 
place allotted to it, 7emarrehhen bel-mrah, fetters its left leg 
above the knee, je‘azzelhen, eats his supper, and lies down 
among the herd, so as to watch it at night also. Next morning 
before sunrise he unties the cords again, 7etallezhen, and, 
having counted them, gives them back to the host. The milk- 
ing of the she-camels is done by the owner himself or by a 
slave or servant. After the milking the host, or anyone bidden 
by him, drives them a short distance from the tent, where 
they graze till the dew has evaporated. 

The best camel pasture consists of plants called hamz, 
among which the Rwala count the following perennials: arta, 


308 RWALA BEDOUINS 


orejnbe, henwa, rorol, rimt, rite, zrejze, Sacrdn, Snan, thama, 
zamran, agram, ‘ardd, razgraf, raza’, firs, fléfla, kataf, kazkéz, 
kalsa, mharit, mwasal, nejtil, hegin. 


WATERING OF CAMELS 


As to the right time for watering the camels the pastur- 
ing ground and the season of the year are the deciding factors. 
When grazing on the salt hamz plants exclusively they can 
hold out no longer than four or five days without water. If 
their food consists of dry plants, tenn, like some dry grasses 
called hemri or the perennials known as nasi and sobot, they 
can endure from six to fifteen days. In the time of rabi*, when 
they eat nothing but fresh, juicy grasses, they will not touch 
water for even as long as thirty days. In the hot season, al- 
kéz, when the Bedouins encamp in the settled territories, the 
herds are driven to the watering places every day. 

A thirsty she-camel murmurs pitiably, tahenn, refuses to 
graze, her eyes overflow with tears, tedadma‘ ‘ajtinaha, every 
little while she makes an attempt to urinate, and her loins 
sink in more and more. On seeing the camel herds in this 
condition the traveler inquires of the herdsmen: “How long 
have the camels thirsted? zma’ al-bel wuSu,” the answer be- 
ing: “They have thirsted four, five, seven, eight, and even 
fifteen days; rib‘ hems semh temdn lahadd hamsta‘as.” 

The watering of camels is described by various words. 
Hadad is used when the camels leave the pasture, are watered, 
and return all in one day; amir, when they reach the watering 
place in one day, spend the night there, and return to their 
pasture on the following day; karab, when the camels going 
to be watered spend the first night far from their pasture, 
reach the water the following noon, stay there over night, 
approach the tents on the third day, and do not return till 
the fourth day from the time when they set out. 

When the Bedouins move and encamp towards evening 
by-some water they let their herds drink at night, calling 
this nazelna bel-hemle. If they camp far from the water, it 
is menda’; nazelna bel-menda’. If the camp is situated near 
a watering place, but with no pasture in the whole neigh- 
borhood, the herdsmen drive their animals a long distance 
from the camp, to which they return only when it is necessary 
to water them. They camp by the water, but the herds spend 


CAMELS Doo 


some nights far out alone; nazalow al-gaw w-jeazzebiin jahe- 
din hems aw semh. A traveler who does not see the herds 
in a camp where he has stopped for the night is told when 
asking about them: ‘The camels sleep out in the loneliness 
guarded by our warriors, al-bel ‘azib w-genabha ma‘ah.” 

The watering of camels is done 
either at the wells or at rain ponds. 
If there is nobody at the well, it 
is called firze; if surrounded by a 
throng, the saying is: ‘“Hal-Zelib 
‘alejh ‘ark, at this well there is a 
crowd (or noise).”” A man called 
rarraf crawls into the well and fills 
the leather bucket, delw, which is 
let down to him. The full*bucket is 
pulled up by another man, mattah, 
who empties it into a leather trough, 
howz, and lets the emptied bucket 
down the well again, fajjazha bel-bir. 
The larger the bucket and the deeper 
the well, the more men pull the rope, 
jesnin or sanndajin. Often also the 
rope is tied to the saddle of a camel 
which is then made to pull. 

In case the Rwala want to draw | 

water from a deep well for some Fic. 36-—A water hoist, 
time they put up a water hoist, makam. 
naur or makdm (Fig. 36), over it. 
This consists of two stout poles, ‘amudén, made fast in the 
eround in such a way that they lean over the well. In holes 
bored through these poles an iron rod, muhtar, is then fitted, 
with a wooden roller, mahdle, over which runs the rope, 
rsa’, holding the delw. ‘Put up the hoist” is expressed by a 
Rwejli with the words: “Hrkes an-na‘tr” or “raff an-na‘ur 
(or makam).” 

Watering from an ‘akla well causes the herdsmen much 
labor, as such wells are partially filled or even entirely caved in 
after each heavy rain and have to be cleaned or dug anew. 
Their depth varies from two to five meters; they are never 
walled around. The silt or earth dug out is usually just dumped 
about the mouth of the well, often forming a mound half a 
meter or a meter high. In this two or three passages are left 


eee 


o40 RWALA BEDOUINS 


to admit the water carriers, who pour out the water outside 
of the mound either into the leather troughs or into a large 
bowl, or finally into pits dug in the earth and covered with 
leather. The mound also prevents the camels from coming too 
near and falling into the well. 

When a leather trough, howz, is lacking, a shallow pit 
called gabija is dug and the water for the camels poured in. 

The watering of the camels is carried out at the various 
rain pools and reservoirs in the same way as at the wells, 
and only at the large pools, habra’ (pl., habdri), can whole 
herds go right into the water and drink. But, as the camels 
generally drop their excrements while drinking, the habari are 
soon defiled beyond measure. At their edges a layer of offal 
is formed; the water smells of urine and becomes dirty yellow 
and brackish, toba’ or matriuk. 

When the camels have drunk their fill, the herdsman | 
drives them away from the water, allowing them to kneel or 
graze for about half an hour, jenadden. Then he drives them 
back to the water again, urging them to drink more, jehatten. 
If they do drink again even a little, both the herdsman and 
the host are satisfied that the animals have drunk enough 
to last them until the next watering. If there is not enough 
water in the place, the herdsman drives the herd away after 
the first watering, complaining to the host: “Our camels did 
not get their second drink today, for there was not water 
enough; abd‘erna al-jowm ma sah leha hatta al-ma’ Zelil.”’ 

To make the camels drink the herdsman uses the words: 
“Terr terr terr!” In urging them to the morning pasture: 
“Di di di mzahhow dil” In the evening: “Massow he’ he? 
duh!” If he wants to calm his she-camel he calls: “Hthi hi 
hi ethi!” To halt the animal: “Kha kha!’ To make her kneel: 
“Ethi h h h!” To make the resting she-camel rise quickly and 
flee from the enemy her rider shouts: “Jd° jd ja‘!’? shaking 
his sleeve or mantle at her, jenfozg ‘alejha. 


Ditties Sung When Camels are Watered 
While watering, the herdsmen sing the short heddawi ditties. 


Ja ‘adabi min ‘asa Alas, I have been kept from my supper 

kazgben dél ar-rasa’_ By holding the end of the bucket rope. 

la rabtik w-la ‘asa. Not a drop of milk nor bite of supper 
have I had. 


CAMELS D4l 


He holds the rope end when it slides down from the 
roller of the water hoist and then again he waits till the 
full bucket comes up. Rabuk is the milk which serves the 
herdsman as a substitute for supper. If no supper has been 
left for him he milks a she-camel. During the watering he 
has no time to do any milking; furthermore, the owner has 
generally milked all the she-camels before they are driven to 
the watering place. 


Al-bel wurdat ja bazbtz 
w-ent tradhez lak ‘agiz. 


The camels have moved to the water, O thou thin skeleton! 
While thou wert playing with an old hag. 


Taw hom gaw They have but just come; 
MUS W-ZAW Hither with knife and shears 
lelhdhom For the chins of those 

lallt gaw. Who have arrived. 


The helpers of the watering herdsmen were late in return- 
ing; wherefore, to disgrace them, their chin beards are to be 
cut short. Zaww are the scissors with which the chin beard 
is trimmed, and mis the knife with which the beard is shaved. 


Bacéer rahilen zible Tomorrow we move south; 
Suh al-razi w-erzib leh. Beckon to thy sweetheart and then 
watch her. 


Erzib leh means “look out,” “have a care,” “watch” when 
she leaves camp with the laden tent and in what direction she 
drives her camels; for on the march there is many a chance 
to speak to her unobserved. 


Dawdak mé hen sarrabat 
ja rafiz al-hattabat 

ragol al-hajel kdlow mat 
min Saharna dak all-fat 
halleh jewalli led-dalfat. 


Thy little herd has not yet been watered, 

O thou companion of women seeking fuel! 

The husband of the childless is said to have died 
The month before that which has just passed. 
May he be sent to the darkness! 


542 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Dalfdt is a region where neither moon nor stars shine and 
to which men who have sinned against their tribe are sent 
by Allah. 


Rav-l-bwejt ad-dini On the little bed of the owner 

bifrejjeseh hottini. Of the next tent lay me. 

Jd. labs as-Sandber O thou wearing a variegated shawl! 

qa rihtak ‘andber Oh, thy scent is like amber, 

ja habber min hw haber. Let who will say what lies on his 
mind. 


Sandber, a pretty shawl in which the fair ones wrap 
themselves. 


Rummantén betidah Two pomegranates on the stalk, 
béz al-hamadm nehidah. Or eggs of a pigeon, are her breasts. 


Al-bel w-ummi Thou who wouldst beat the camels 
and my mother 
ja zarebha la tamenni. Hadst better look out for me. 


At-tawil abu ‘aba’ The tall one in a black mantle 
w-atarkasah w-arkah I shall seize and climb up to her, 
abri habbe tendjah, For her teeth I want to kiss. 


Tau‘arkas is said of a man pulling himself up with his 
hands and planting his feet firmly against the ground with 
great exertion in order to climb a steep rock. 


Kalbt jwedd ad-dia My heart loves a lewd woman 
‘ala-l-wa‘ad seria Who is wont to hasten to the meeting 
ja mtakkat al-aba Dressed in nothing but her cloak — 
ras al-kajje lad telhah. Her body she must not shave. 


Dia is A Woman commonly known as granting her favors to 
any man. This applies to the divorced women who cannot marry 
again. Mtakk al-‘aba’ signifies a man whose shirt has been 
washed and hung up to dry, while he, clad in his cloak, sits 
or walks about waiting for it. 


Halamt w-ana néjem In my slumber I dreamt 
bim‘asrak al-wesdjem Of those adorned with blue tattooing; 
ja lejt helmi déjem. Oh, may my dream last forever! 


CAMELS 343 


Hubbi bil-gal 
ja delw gbdl 
beazud rgal 
ma hom gehal. 


Against the rocky wall beat 
Thou, O Gbal’s bucket! [drawn by] 
The strength of arms of men 
Who are not heedless. 


The bucket strikes against the rocky sides of a deep well, 
making the work of the men drawing it exceedingly difficult. 
When they feel that its edge has caught on some bulge of 
the wall, they must not jerk at the rope lest they injure the 
bucket or tip it and spill the water; they should, rather, 
merely rock the bucket slightly so as to bring it into the 
center of the well. Such deliberation, of course, is possessed 
by real men, regal, not by harebrained, hasty, inconsiderate 
lads, gehdl, who think that all things can be accomplished 
by violence. 


Oh, the full bucket, 
May Allah save it from the sides 
of the well! 


Jad maljana 
sallamha-llah min 
gilanah. 


He shall not water his camels 
Who does not pull up [the rope] 
steadily. 


Ma jarwi-l-bel 
rejr muserbel. 


More visible, more visible, 

If visibility be the question, 

A white she-camel is the more 

visible. 

If beauty be the question, 

A brown one is more beautiful; 

But if a load be the question, 

Then ablack she-camelcan stand 
more than all. 


Abjen abjen 
canha bil-bin 
al-wazha-bjen 


canha biz-zin 
al-hamra-zjen 
canha bis-sil 

al-malha-sjel. 


Tawwa’ tfazza’? bali 
al-howz beh efzalt. 


As-sowl jirid 
jowm at-tawrid 
‘abdén w-sid 
en cell al-“abd 
mad cell as-sid. 


Now my mind has cleared, 
For in the water trough there 
is a surplus. 


The camels need 

On the watering day 

Two slaves and one master. 
If one slave gets tired 

Not so the master. 


344 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Sowl has much the same meaning as bel, camels collectively, 
and forms no plural. Two slaves (negroes) and the master attend 
only to the watering, while the herdsman watches the camels. 


Kum subb (sic) w-essi-l-hajel 
nakt estam al-‘djel. 


Rise, pour in, and water the sterile one, 
The she-camel of him who tames the violator. 


Subbu-‘ala-l-asdajer - Pour in water for the sweethearts, 
mugawwezdt al-bajer Wedded to a sluggard, 
al-bajer eben al-bajer. To a sluggard son of a sluggard. 


Bajer is the name for a squeamish fellow afraid alike of 
the sun’s heat, the night’s chills, or of much exertion, and 
therefore one who loves to loiter in the tent most of the time. 
No girl would marry such a man voluntarily, but, as by the 
law of kinship he can claim his nearest cousin, her parents 
must give her to him. Small wonder that, once married, his 
wife prefers other men; nor can he even rebuke her for this, 
as she would run away and he could never get another wife. 
Because of the Rwala belief that the son inherits his father’s 
qualities, the father in this verse is no better than the son, 
and the wife, who has no wish to bear him a son, looks around 
for others; such a wife is a called tamth. 


Jad rabb 74 mawldna O Lord! O thou Ruler of ours! 
bedder lena bhwéana Help us quickly to what we desire, 
eszi-l-“eddd awddna. Fill with water our vessels which 


have tired us out. 


When forty to fifty camels of one herd must be watered 
from a well over thirty meters deep, or from a shallow well 
that has caved in and into which the water flows very slowly, 
even the hardiest men become tired partly from the labor of 
drawing the water and partly from watching the crowding 
camels, who, if very thirsty, press around the well, into which 
they would fall if not driven away constantly by the herds- 
men. One man can hardly keep three thirsty animals from 
breaking away from him and running to the water trough, 
there to squeeze in among those already drinking. Often they 
knock over the watering vessel, tread on each other’s feet, 
bite, and knock about the men who are raising the water, 


CAMELS D045 


rousing their wrath to the highest pitch. If twenty camels are 
to be watered from a well in which the water accumulates but 
slowly, five men must work hard for full four hours. No 
wonder, then, that the waterers pray Allah to help them do 
their task quickly and Himself to fill the necessary utensils, 
‘eddd, with water. 


Ja rzajjelen bumm iden Oh, that gazelle in Umm Iden! 
jetli matabb al-mizen. She goes there where rain fell 
from the clouds. 


The Bedouins carefully watch the rain clouds to judge 
their direction and where their sluices may open. They even 
send a watcher to follow them and, if he comes back with a 
favorable report (i.e. that the rain has been abundant) they 
move to the place with all their herds. Thus a little gazelle, 
a maiden drawing water from the rain pool by Umm Iden, had 
come there after having followed the rain cloud which had 
filled the pool. 


Jad mizen ar-ra‘ddi O thou cloud rumbling with thunder! 
emter ‘ala-l-hamaddi. On al-Hamad let down thy rain. 


Al-Hamad is the western half of north Arabian desert 
between Palmyra and the Nefitd. 


Al-bir tabri hader Into the well should descend 
eben haldlen Zdder. A son of honest parents, a strong one. 


An eben haldl is a man against whose father there is 
no reproach and on whose mother’s name there is no stain. 
The water in the well is clear, for it flows from a clear spring; 
therefore it should be drawn only by a man whose face and 
origin are clean and pure. 


Welli ‘aguzen siba Run from the gray-haired woman! 
allah jyikta’ nasibah May Allah cut her fate, for 
ted% ‘ala nasibah. She curses her son-in-law. 


Allah cuts someone’s fate if he visits him with death. 
Ted ‘ala, she calls upon or implores, is used in both a good 
and bad sense. Nasib is the name that a mother gives not 
only to the man who has married her daughter but also to 
a man who as yet only calls on the daughter. 


546 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Ja marhaba 7a belna O hail, O ye camels of ours! 

ja mabsadat manzelna Oh, how far is our camping ground! 

w-elja barejna-helna. Faith! if we wanted to cheat you 
we could. 


The owners of camels which are to be watered live in a 
distant camp and cannot watch their herdsmen, who could 
therefore water the animals only partly. By this they would 
save themselves much labor, but, of course, the insufficient 
watering would make the camels grow thin. 


Jd bir low tsufi O well! if thou couldst see | 
std al-ajtin wukifi The black-eyed ones bending over thee 
zemmar mitl al-hsufi. Slender, like young gazelles! 


Girls very often help with the watering; when they come 
for water they must bend over the wide well, ‘akla, only two 
to five meters deep where the underground rain water accumu- 
lates, in order to fill their bucket or to hand it to the person 
standing in the well. 


Darana bel-knéne Our camp at al-Knéne 

sakéha-r-ra‘ad Was filled, after thunder peals, with water. 

dér majjah al-ardén Thatisthecamp forhim who would draw 
water with sleeves, 

w-zafi al-za‘ad. And desires a warm place to abide in. 


Al-Knéne is a watering place. The rocky bottom of the 
broad channel there is covered with gravel and sand to a depth 
of about a meter. After heavy rain the water remains on the 
rocky bottom for a long time, being protected by the gravel 
from evaporation. The Arabs dig little wells, hesjdn, in the 
gravel, which are filled with water to the depth of half a meter, 
so that it can, as the Bedouins say, be drawn even with sleeves. 
Majjah al-ardén, drawing with sleeves, is a lazy fellow who 
does not like the fatigue of drawing water from a deep well 
and praises the shallow sources from which he can water his 
camels without any effort. Zdfi al-Za‘ad signifies camps pro- 
tected against the wind, therefore pleasantly warm. 


Ma jimess al-rarab mess He will not firmly grasp the rope 
with the bucket, 

rejr alli makileh dess Who does not eat hidden food, 

allah min jihebb w-hess. Who, by Allah, does not kiss and touch. 


CAMELS DAT 


Jimess means, properly, a steady and equal pull on the 
rope. It is held in the left hand, caught below with the right, 
and is thus pulled up hand over hand. Rarab is the same as 
rsa, the rope to which the leather bucket, delw, is tied. As 
some of the wells are as much as a hundred meters deep, 
the drawing of water is very fatiguing, especially on account 
of the bulges in the rocky sides which impede the bucket 
in coming up. The right hand must not only hold ‘the rope 
firmly, but must shake it most of the time so as to keep 
it in the center. Alli mdkileh dess means “he who finds his 
food by feeling or searching for it.” He eats more than the 
others, because his sweetheart has hidden something for him 
in a place he knows of, in order that he may eat it at night 
after returning from the pasture. 


LOST CAMELS 


Many camels get lost. Finding good grazing in some deep 
gully, they stay there, kneel down during the hottest part 
of the day, and, having rested, graze again. When there is 
a spot with good soft sand, the truant animal rolls about in 
it, grazes once more, and when the sun sinks in the west 
cannot find its herd, which, pasturing slowly, has in the 
meantime passed out of sight. Sometimes a she-camel may 
like only certain plants. She is rested, fat, and can satisfy 
her desires. Some days she will not touch anything except 
her favorite dainty, hunting for it on all sides, leaving the 
herd, and moving on. At noon, kneeling for a while to chew 
her cud, she catches sight of her plant at some distance, sets 
off for it, and, then, in the evening moans for the herd she 
can no longer find. The lost she-camels run around all night 
and kneel down before sunrise, but with the evaporating of 
the dew they get up and run in almost any direction. They 
seem entirely to lack the sense of smell or the natural instinct 
which might enable them to find their herd. Being accustomed 
to follow the leading she-camel, they are at their wit’s ends 
when they do not see her, and they wander aimlessly even 
if only one kilometer from the camp. On the other hand, the 
herdsman cannot look for a lost animal for long. On return- 
ing to his tent towards evening he rides through the camp 
in all directions calling in his singing voice, mesdje‘, for the 


348 RWALA BEDOUINS 


stray beast to come back to its place. Often the lost she- 
camel joins another herd, goes with it to the camp, moans 
when she does not hear the familiar voice of the herdsman, 
and moves towards him as soon as his ditty catches her ear. — 
In case the stray animal is not in the camp, the owner and 
his friends mount their horses and ride out the same evening 
to hunt for it. If it is not found, they return the next day 
before noon, saddle their female riding camels, and the search 
begins anew. During their absence a member of the owner’s 
kin rides up and down the camp every evening shouting: 
“Who has seen such and such a she-camel?” If someone 
happens to have seen her, the usual answer is: “O thou who - 
hast lost a she-camel, know that she is at So-and-So’s.” No one 
would ever keep such knowledge to himself. A stray or lost 
she-camel is called daheba, the man who has lost her, medheb. 

Although sucking, young camels are constantly threatened 
with danger from many beasts of prey, mainly wolves, the 
herdsman cannot always watch them, especially in a rocky 
territory or sandy desert, full of drifts and pits. However, 
in order to preserve them he draws a circle around them with 
his staff or a sharp stone and says: ‘‘The circle of Solomon, 
son of David, is between us and thee [wild beast]! If thou 
breakest it, Allah will break thee! hotta sleymdn eben dédiid 
bénana w-bénak w-en kata‘taha kata‘ak allah.” This cirele is 
also called legam. 


VALUE AND USES OF CAMELS 


Without camels the Bedouins could not live in the desert. 
The she-camels give them milk all the year round; this forms 
the principal, and in many families the only, food for months. 
With the money received from the sale of camels they buy 
clothes, arms, and grain for both themselves and their horses. 
The camels they usually sell to the felldhin or to the merchants 
who import in caravans the various goods needed in the towns 
and settlements situated far from the sea or from railways; 
some camels are also sold for meat in Egypt and Irak. The 
fellahin use the camels in plowing, hauling, and threshing, 
for raising water, and for bringing their various products to 
the market. Fat she-camels more than twenty years old are 
bought for their flesh by the ‘Akejl. 


CAMELS 549 


In 1909 the price of a 
mahlil was 10 to 12 megidizjat ($ 9.00— 10.80) 


mafrid ieee ol) . ($13.50— 18.00) 
hezze Pain, 25 i ($16.20— 25.20) 
ged aN ope AY) Fe ($27.00— 36.00) 
teni sy SH ean ($36.00— 54.00) 
rub‘ Go ee 80S. ays, ($54.00— 72.00) 
good riding camel 85 _,, 200 S ($ 76.50—180.00). 


The prices fluctuate according to supply and demand; the 
price of fat old she-camels varies in accordance with the price 
of cotton in Egypt. If the felladhin in that country have had 
a profitable year, they do not stint themselves in camel meat. 

For camel’s hair the Bedouins get but little. The largest 
quantity of hair and the longest is given by male camels up 
to their seventh, and by she-camels to their ninth, year. The 
older the animal the thinner its hair, the old ones being almost 
entirely bald on the shanks, belly, and both sides of the neck. 
Toward the end of April and in May camel’s hair is gathered 
by girls, al-bel tarr wabarha, who make it into saddle bags, 
blankets, and sacks. 

The camel is ridden by the Bedouin on lengthy marches. 
Indeed, such marches are always made on camels, never on 
horses. The she-camel is more enduring than the male, persist- 
ing longer without abundant pasture or water and not weaken- 
ing even in the rutting time, whereas the males in the month 
of February are exhausted to such a degree that they cannot 
rise from the ground. 

The most highly valued are those riding she-camels which 
ean eat their fill while on the march without stopping or 
deviating from their course. An animal of this kind is called 
hanté. 

Hedijje is the term applied to a she-camel which grazes 
only near her resting rider and will not go far enough to 
lose sight of him. 

A female riding camel who is loath to part from her 
young or herd moans grievously, tahenn ‘an welef, for several 
days and is called mildf. But often the murmuring becomes 
a habit lasting for months. Day after day, and often at night 
as well, the rolling murmur is heard at regular intervals. It 
will not cease unless the animal’s mouth is tied with a cord, 
but even then a subdued sound is heard. No sooner is the 


500 RWALA BEDOUINS 


cord untied than the murmuring starts again, tarri, in which 
case nothing remains but to kill the poor brute, or to sell 
it so that it may torment some one else. The Bedouin prays 
Allah to free him from such a she-camel, which he calls 
rarraja. 

There are four habits sure to make even the strongest 
and most enduring she-camel fiercely hated, hubt at-taba*: 
Srud, shying and starting to run away the moment the rider 
dismounts; ‘atuk, refusing to be guided by either the heel, 
stick, or rein; ‘agla’, when on the march running from plant 
to plant smelling but not eating any; and finally the habit 
of kneeling suddenly when on the march and throwing off her 
rider. A camel that does this is called halldja. A she-camel 
with any of these bad habits is called dimijje, guilty of death, 
because she may cause her rider’s death. The purchaser of 
a female riding camel in which one of these habits is found 
within twenty days, can return her, and his money must be 
repaid in full. 


CAMEL SADDLES 


The supports of a camel saddle (Fig. 37) are four stout 
boards about 70 centimeters long and each fashioned in such 
a way as to form an obtuse angle on the outside about the 
middle. Above this point a hole 4 by 1 centimeters is cut 
through each board. The boards are placed together in pairs 
and fastened with strong nails. Wooden stakes, dhds (sing., 
dahas), 30 centimeters long by 4 wide by 1 thick, are driven 
through the two openings and project 8 centimeters on each 
side. The upper portions of the united boards are turned into 
the shape of cones with knobs at the top. Each knob, rds 
(a), has a diameter of about 8 centimeters; the ‘cone, razdle 
(6), below the knob measures 11 centimeters, and just above 
the obtuse angle 32 centimeters, in circumference. The lower 
parts of the boards are fashioned like shovels, zldf (e), about 
27 centimeters long by 1 thick, 20 centimeters wide at the top 
and 22 at the bottom. The inner sides of each pair of “shovels” 
form a sharp angle. 

These two pairs of united boards form the front and hind 
parts of the saddle and are connected by four crosspieces (d and 
h) called ‘asjan, mesdlib, or ‘azdjed. Two of these are straight, 
48 centimeters long by 1 thick and 8 wide at one end but 


CAMELS Dol 


only 4 wide at the other. The other two are bent, 52 centimeters 
long by 9 wide at one end and 6 wide at the other. Each 
straight crosspiece is tied with its broad end upwards to the 
dahas stake of the front pair of boards and the narrow end 


Fic. 837—A camel saddle. 


to the middle of the ‘shovel’ of the hind pair. The bent 
crosspieces are fastened in the same manner, with the broader 
end upwards to the dahas stake of the rear pair, and with 
the narrower end to the “shovel” of the front pair. At about 
the middle of the bent crosspieces is a notch into which the 
straight pieces fit. In each “shovel” two little holes are bored. 
The fastenings consist of dry camel tendons, wstir (7). 

The width of the frame thus constructed at the base (i.e. 
the distance between the lower edges of the two “shovels” 
of each pair) is about 42 centimeters; from the base to the 
sharp angles formed by the junction of the “shovels” is 36 
centimeters. On the inside of the “shovels” two cushions filled 
with camel’s hair, kandjef, are tied (Fig. 38). Between them 
a cushion, witr (Fig. 39), 22 centimeters high by 10 thick by 
130 long, folded in the middle and stuffed with short straw 
or wool, is laid in such a way that the folded end is to the 


02 RWALA BEDOUINS 


1 
= crm Soa 


aoe es Clemence eens 


65cm es 


' 
‘ 
eos He 


Fics. 38-48—Saddles and saddle cushions: 


Fic. 38—A kanife cushion. Fic. 39—A witr cushion. 
Fic. 40—A mirake cushion. Fic. 41—A mesdme saddle. 
Fig. 42—A heddge saddle. F1c.43—A witr cushion for the pack saddle. 


CAMELS 353 


rear. This cushion is also called madfuna. To the upper half 
of the right-hand straight crosspiece a camel’s hair rope or 
breast girth, hakab, is tied; a similar rope forming a belly 
girth, btdne, is fastened in a semicircular notch to the upper 
half of the right-hand bent crosspiece. 


v Ae 


Fig. 44—An ornamented camel saddle with a zd‘ed blanket. 


The saddle is placed on the camel in such a way that 
the hump enters between the cushions and the saddle can 
tip neither forwards nor backwards. The breast girth, hakab, 
is drawn under below the breast close behind the forelegs, 
then passed inside the upper half of the left-hand straight 
crosspiece, to which it is secured after being tightened slightly. 
The belly girth, btdne, is drawn under the belly between the 
navel and the udder, passed inside the upper half of the left- 
hand bent crosspiece, and is likewise made fast. To the forward, 
upper side of each bent crosspiece a ring, halka (9g), is fastened 
with strips of leather, natdjes, from which hangs a cushion, 
mirake (Fig. 40), that rests on the camel’s shoulder blades. 
This mirake is ornamented with a fringe, hadab. Behind the 
rear cone, which is called rurdb or mihar, either two or four 
woolen or camel’s hair ribbons, safdjef, about a meter and 
a half long by ten centimeters wide are tied; they flutter 
to right and left with each movement of the camel on the 


504 RWALA BEDOUINS 


march. On the saddle a leather quilt stuffed with camel’s 
hair, nata‘, is spread in such a way that both the cones can 
be stuck through it. More ornamental is the blanket called 
ca‘ed or zd‘ada, made of the skin of a black goat with long 
fine hair (Fig. 44). The knob of the front cone and the whole 
of the rear cone are usually ornamented with small metal 
nails, sometimes of silver or gilded, and variously shaped. 
A saddle with silver ornaments is called mukammar; with 
gold, musaffar (k). The “shovels” and crosspieces of the finest 
saddles are often inlaid with little plates of engraved metal. 

A mesame (Fig. 41) is a saddle to which the water bags 
are tied. Its wooden skeleton resembles that of the riding 
saddle, except that both its cones are lower and flattened. 
The crosspieces are replaced by round sticks about eighty 
centimeters long. Inside a mesdme only the witr cushion is 
used. This saddle is also provided with breast girth, hakab. 
A mesdme with a thicker cushion and a stronger wooden 
structure, known as a rabit, serves for carrying water bags 
made of camel skin. 

A hedage (Fig. 42) is a saddle used for carrying loads. 
Its wooden frame consists of four boards 42 centimeters long 
by 10 wide by 1 thick. These are fastened together in pairs, 
their broad sides being joined at the ends by metal plates to 
form almost right angles. About ten centimeters below the 
angle two holes are bored through each board and wooden 
stakes, dhds (a), driven through; a stick, ‘asa’ (b), is tied 
below the stakes on each side. The witr cushion (Fig. 48) to 
which this frame is fastened is almost a meter long by 385 
centimeters high in the front and 65 centimeters high behind. 
Its back ends in an ornament, ‘e7z, resembling a red Turkish 
cap, with a tassel, Sirsib. 

The camel halters, rasan, are usually made by women; 
the iron parts only are bought from traveling merchants (Fig. 
45: a, muhtama; b, ‘addr; c, ‘azdreb; d, sinsile; e, serdsib; 
f, gedila). 

A rider about to-mount sets his left foot on the left front 
knee of the kneeling camel, places his left hand on the front, 
his right on the rear saddle knob, and springs off the ground, 
throwing his right leg over to the saddle. At the same moment 
the camel gets up in three motions: first she lifts her breast 
and kneels on her front legs, this movement being called 
tenhaz; next she raises her back, nowza, and thrusts against 


CAMELS DDD 


the toes of her hind legs, tentiz; finally she stands up on both 
fore and hind legs, tetvvr. 

A good she-camel will utter no sound while being saddled 
or loaded at night. A spirited, well-rested animal will stretch 
her neck backwards, catch the rider’s dress with her lips, and 
touch him with her head. She will shy when passing a dark 
shadow, houses, or palm trees. 


CAMELS ON THE MARCH 


The rider, rdéeb (Fig. 46), crosses his legs, 7elwi riglegh, 
or lets them hang down on the left or right side, jedir al- 
wiré. To make the camel go faster, he kicks her with his 
heel in the right or left shoulder blade, jelhasha be‘azbeh, 
and, waving his little stick, shouts: “Hej hej hej!’ To guide 
her he taps the animal gently on the right or left side of 
the neck, jesadderha bel-‘asa’. The rein must not be drawn 
too short by the rider nor left too loose. If he draws it tight, 
the animal cannot graze; if left loose it might be easily stepped 
over with the left foreleg while the camel is grazing. 

If the saddle is not well secured it rocks to right and 
left, majel, or slides now forward, kdlat or mekallet, now back- 
ward, twahhar, minfahed or minfesen. Then the rider dis- 
mounts and arranges the saddle anew. In case his slave is 
with him, he orders: “The saddle is rocking; fasten it on 
tighter! ‘azzedeh’”; or: “It inclines forwards, push it a little 
back! wahhereh”; or again: “It slides backwards, push it 
forward! kalleteh.” In order to do this the slave must loosen, 
arha’, both the breast girth, hakab, and the belly girth, btane, 
balance the saddle, and then tighten, karab, both girths. 

Should the rider fall asleep and the animal change her 
course while grazing, his companion calls to him: “Set thy 
riding camel right! jammen delulak.” In the daytime the rider 
euides himself in the desert where there are no roads by 
some prominent landmark, at night by the North Star. The 
older man advises the younger: “Mind the North Star! ofton 
al-gedi”; “Lay the North Star on the face of thine animal,” 
meaning a northerly course; ‘Lay it on thy left brow,” mean- 
ing a north-northeast course; “Lay it on thy left shoulder,” 
indicates “go northeast”; “Lay it on thy saddleback from the 
left,” “go eastwards”; “Lay it on the back saddle knob,” ‘go 
south,” etc. 


356 RWALA BEDOUINS 


To stop his she-camel the rider clicks his tongue, tanéar 
leha. 

The pace of a female riding camel varies. The most pleasant 
is a light, regular, long step called hatwa zéna. An animal 
with a heavy step is called lehth; if it rocks much, reduh. 


Zi, 4 a Sf i f A 7 

1 Nap AS) ay GS SO Qh Aye 
bia a WH | oa NN 
fs ! Ke [ I " * i " e \ ui 
eh USA 
pacar 


2 


; 

i 
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i 


ae 


Q 
Y Ss 
oS —S5 
bh 


Fic. 45—A camel halter, rasan. 


As a rule the she-camel walks, mast. Only rarely does 
she trot, derhem. A long trot is called da‘dk, a fast one demil. 
A she-camel gallops only when on the attack for booty or when 
fleeing to escape death, amma ‘ala tum: amma ‘an mezelka. 

A riding camel (Figs. 47, 48) runs best before and after 
sunset. The rider, when she is in full swing, must not hold 
her back or he will tire her. A good riding animal can make 
more than 200 kilometers in twelve hours. My companion, 
Nazel eben Tnejjan, started before sunrise from Radir al-Hejl 
and by sunset was in ad-Duhejne, having covered 300 kilo- 
meters while being pursued. A courier of Prince Muhammad 


CAMELS DOT 


eben RaSid left Gaw Jatob shortly before sunrise and at sunset 
reached Brejda, 250 kilometers distant; leaving there the next 
morning, by sunset of the same day he was back in Jatob again. 

After exhausting marches camels must rest at least three 
months. If no pasture is found on their route and all they 


Fic. 46—Camel riders. 


can get is a little dry grass, they soon digest what was in 
their humps, their loins sink in, and their strength disappears. 
They are therefore entitled to a good rest after their riders 
have made them traverse by day and night countries where 
there is neither good pasture nor enough water. After three 
months the riders may take them out on a new trip. When a 
riding camel needsa rest, she kneels down, brakat, or her rider 
makes her do so, jebarrekha or jenawwelhha. The place where 
a camel has rested is called mabrak or mandh. “Lakejna 
mabrak arédbhom or manéh arédbhom, we have discovered 
the resting place of their riding camels,’ report the scouts 


3D8 RWALA BEDOUINS 


on finding a place where the she-camels of a small raiding 
troop have rested. When speaking of a dog or donkey lying 
down, the words are: “Al-calb rabaz” or “al-hmdr rabag’’; of 
a horse “al-faras rabazat.” 


Songs Relating to Camels 


The Rwejli’s delight in riding camels is expressed in many 
of his songs. 


Ja ‘amm kum denni li hamra 
w-min al-hegen ‘amlijzje 

Siddu ‘alejha Sdadden zén 

ma zirbeten gild negdijje 
hall. dreqbak ma’ summdan 
arzen Zelile beha rijje. 


Uncle, rise, and bring me the bay [mare] 

And a tried riding camel. 

With a saddle saddle her as is fitting 

And put on a water bag from a Neégd goatskin. 

I heed not thy advice to travel through Summan land, 
For it is a land of few watering places. 


An uncle advises a youth preparing for a raid to go 
through the Summén territory. The youth declines the advice 
and asks the uncle to get a bay mare ready for him and a 
she-camel known for her endurance. Negdijje is a large goat 
or sheep of the Negd breed. A water bag made of the skin 
of either of these animals holds as much as forty liters. 


Futtaren ma sacan bimkém 
w-ar-radi md jistahenna 
tala‘an diret al-agndb 
w-asbahan bidjar ahalhenna. 


The old camels were not content with a long and quiet 
Nor cared for any pastures. [rest 
Having examined the land of a strange tribe, 

They came again to the land of their owners. 


Old camels are very particular as to their food and soon 
become disgusted with even the best of pastures. They are used 
on raids to distant places, from which they return too ex- 
hausted to lead the other camels in the herd into disobedience. 


CAMELS D059 


Al-bel ehmu laha-l-bir 
samnat w-tdlat deraha 
wa korob hajjen tenassah 
wa? baad hazjen wardha. 
Go, seize the well for camels! 
Their humps have become fat and have grown high. 
Ah, how near the kin to which they hasten! 
Ah, how far the kin they have left behind! 


Whenever the Bedouins intend to encamp at a large 
watering place consisting of many wells, their youths ride 
ahead of the moving tribe on horseback or on camels and 
each seizes some of the known wells to make sure of water 
for his herds. Having seized a well, he unsaddles his animal, 
sits down by the saddle, and waits for the arrival of the tribe. 
At its approach he beckons to his own people to pitch the 
tent where he is sitting. If the spot is not suitable, the tent 
is put up farther away, but the youth watches the well till 
all the Bedouins are encamped and everybody knows to whom 
each of the wells belongs. As the water is not equally divided 
among all the wells, the owners of smaller herds to whom 
no well has been allotted ask their happier fellow tribesmen 
for leave to water from theirs. 


Deluili 7a saséle O thou, my dark ashen-gray riding camel, 
deluil eben td Camel from the Eben ‘Id breed, 
Zzirbeti SowSelij7e Know that my water pouch is but small 
w-al-mrawa baid. And the watering place distant. 


The rider urges his camel to keep up her speed. Zirbe 
SowSelijje is a leather water pouch holding no more than six 
liters. 

Al-hegen ja haj ja ramtan 
ma jenlahez gezdhenne 

ams az-zaha bidjadr al-kowmdan 
w-al-jowm bidjadr ahalhenne. 


For the riding camels, O Ramtan, thou little brother of 

Naught can be found that would reward them. [ mine, 
Yesterday when dew evaporated they were still in hostile 
And today they are in the land of their owners. [land 


MG jenlahez gezadhenne, no reward will be found for them. 
When a man does a kind act for another, the recipient acknow- 


360 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


ledges it with the words: “Md alhak gezdk, ma egazik begmil 
mitl gemilak. I am unable to reward thee. I cannot do thee 
such a good turn as thou hast done me.” 


Ii fateren ma tadri 
w-an-nadel mda testwilah 
jahram ‘alejha-t-thazzri 
w-al-bab wa-lgat nahila 
tefrah elja git agri 
w-al-biset jowmi Selila. 


I have an old camel that needs not make excuses. 
A coward cannot govern her. 

Forbidden to her is the settlement, 

The gate and the rustling of palms. 

She rejoices when I gallop to her 

And signal to her with the hem of my light mantle. 


if 


2. 


3. 


4. 


5. 


10. 


‘Asa-l-haja jeszi mawdrid majku‘ 
jeszi-l-Zelib at-tdref ma° maraddeh 
hejta makarr lel-fardzin w-an-ngu 
w-killen jwallem leh makam w-‘edde 
Sifet al-rdzi towbeh ‘an as-sdk marfi 
mutmaslehen lirsa? jabri sisiddeh 
w-allah ja lola-l-habel matni w-marbi: 
ma tawa‘ al-lakkdj low kal ruddeh 
hassejt tdi min al-azed lil-ki* 
raddejtaha bil-jowm tisin radde 


. waddak tebih as-sedd ‘ala mitl ged 


karmen elja sdf al-hana? mda jeaddeh 


. zabn ad-delil elja haba’ kill manzi 


sejfen Satir w-jikta’ ar-rds haddeh 


. kel en Gdn ams mitl al-jowm mé massdni Gu 


w-asuf hali bsaham mustareddeh 


. alli-skani min tandjah karti: 


ja swejhbi wa’-hlél hebb al-mwadde 
w-allah lahalli ben-nezel sdje’ w-masju‘ 
w-allah lahalli kill bedd jetla’ lebeddeh. 


1. May the rain fill the watering places at Majka‘ 
And fill to the top the first well from which the rope 


returns with the bucket; 


CAMELS O61 


2. Where there is room for camps both small and large, 

And where all prepare the water hoists and the needed 
gear. 

5. I saw a conquering maiden there, with her dress tucked 
up above her calves 

And sleeves tied behind the neck, stretching taut a rope 
with the bucket. 

4. By Allah I swear! if the rope were twice or four times 
as long, 

The pourer out would not be obeyed, even if he shouted: 
“Come back with the rope!” 

5. With my hand I felt her arm down to the elbow, 
Drawing back my hand ninety times at least that day. 
6. Mayst thou keep the secret like Gedt‘, 

That noble man who never told when he saw some game 

of love. 
7. He protects a scamp when every idler is afraid, 

And he has a saber, the edge of which splits heads. 

8. If I had fared yesterday as today, hunger would not 
have pained me, 

For as I look at myself I see my fat is restored 

9. By thee who didst allay my thirst when I kissed thy teeth. 

O sweetheart, how sweet a permitted love kiss tastes! 

10. By Allah, I shall not suffer a violated or a violator to 
be in camp, 

By Allah, I shall not permit one tribe to come out 
against another. 


The poet was Zejdan ar-Rwejli; the reciter, Mindil al- 
Kati. The poet is drawing water at Majku’‘, the last large 
watering place at the south end of the Sirhan depression, the 
vicinity of which is always full of both small, fardzin, and 
large, ngv‘, camps. As some of the wells are as much as 
thirty meters deep, a hoist is set up in the stony ground by 
the mouth of the well. The free end of the rope is held by 
one or two persons who draw the water. A third person 
stationed close by the hoist takes care that the rope does not 
slide off the roller, bakra, and shakes it occasionally to sub- 
merge and fill the bucket; he tells the drawers to walk till 
the bucket comes in sight. Then he shouts to them to stop, 
eatches hold of the bucket, empties it into the leather trough, 
howz, and then bids them return and let the bucket down 


362 RWALA BEDOUINS 


again. When a woman has to pull the rope she tucks her gown, 
towb, up to the knees and throws the long, open sleeves over 
her shoulders, tying them behind, lest they hinder her when 
at work. If the rope is worked by two persons, they hold a 
short stick tied to the rope’s end. The poet remembers how 
near he was to his beloved, praises Gedti‘, the pourer of the 
water, for not gossiping about them, and promises, stimulated 
by love, that he will quell all troubles between individuals 
and tribes too. 

Verse 1. Maradd is a firmly trodden footpath for’ the 
persons hauling up the water bucket. 2. Fardzin are camps 
numbering less and ngu° those numbering more than ten 
tents. Wallam, or jwallem, implies that he will prepare, put 
up for himself, a hoist, makdm, with the necessary utensils, 
‘edde, such as the bucket, delw, the rope, rsa? or habl, and 
the trough, howz. 3. Mutmaslehen, or mitmaslehen, for mut- 
Sallahen. 4. The deeper the well, the longer the rope must be 
and the more work for those who pull it and impatiently 
wait for the pourer’s call: “Lakkdéj ruddeh.” The poet feels 
such satisfaction in the company of his sweetheart that he 
means to disregard the pourer’s command. 9. Karté* means a 
slight lick lasting only a moment. 10. Bedd for bedide means 
the same as ‘asire or Zabile, clan or tribe. 


1. Ja ‘amm wa? wagdi ‘ala wsak horra 
baidet al-merwah low dirt ana-l-waré 

2. tisrab hatdafil al-kalas jowm afarrah 
w-al-gejs min fowk al-zwd‘ed lahen ‘ark 

3. tigfel elja sama‘at ma‘ al-hazm farra 
farrat katat harrekat bézaha hark. 


1. O uncle mine, ah, I long to saddle a thoroughbred camel 
On which, crossing my legs, I would go far in a day; 

2. When I bid her drink she will drink the last drop 
from a small bucket, 

While all around riding camels crowd together rubbing 
the leather covers of their saddles. 

3. She shies on hearing a swift flight in the hills, 

The flight of the kata’ birds, who as they rise set their 

eggs moving. 


The poet was an ‘Atejbi; the reciters, Mindil al-Kat‘i and 
Mhammad al-Kazib. A young ‘Atejbi, whose father had died, 


CAMELS 363 


paid a visit to his uncle camping with the Sammar. The 
childless uncle meant to make him his heir, but the youth 
yearned for his comrades and after a stay of six days pre- 
pared to leave again. 

Verse 1. Wsak means the same as Sidd, “to saddle a 
camel.” Dirt al-waré means ‘the rider crossing his legs above 


Fics. 47, 48—Riding camels. 


the knees.” 2. Kalas is a leather bucket holding about six 
liters, such as the raiders take with them. Some camels drink 
only when there is still plenty of water in the bucket and 
stop as soon as their lips touch the bottom. Afarrah (for 
atarrah) means “to be urged to drink with the sounds terr 
terr!’ Zwia‘ed are saddle covers made of the skin of the black 
Negd goat, which has long, fine, slightly curly hair. The skin 
is tanned without the hair being taken off; this is clipped 
short and holes for both the front and back saddle knobs 
are made; it is then hemmed and laid on the saddle with the 
hair uppermost. When watered the she-camels crowd so that 
their saddles touch. 3. The kata’ sand grouse nests on small 
patches of flat ground in hilly country, hazm. It sits quietly 
till the rider comes near, when it flies up suddenly, striking 
the eggs with its legs and thus disturbing them. Its flight is 
very noisy, somewhat resembling the sound of the word farr. 


364 RWALA BEDOUINS 


The uncle, angry with his nephew for leaving him, seized 
a rebdba, struck a few chords, and began to recite: 


1. Abuk ja-lli talbetak bass horra 
bént w-bénak sdmeé al-‘ars jekhark 

2. mad kilt bezowd cemma hasm harra 
w-bejten cebir w-zadmer al-batn jinhark 

3. ‘aslugten tel‘ab b'tid al-megarra 
tenhab klub ahl al-hawa? w-ent teshark 

4. en can rabbak nadwi lak mesarra 
ahdar lak ahbdl al-asbab w-azhark 

5. w-en Can rabbak nadwi lak muzarra 
low ent bris as-Swahiz ahdark 

6. ‘am‘um Id téhod ‘ala-l-azm karra 
ajjak tumm ajjak lat-titen jegrahk 

7. 74 Sén an ndsehk w-barrek mubarra 
waged ‘ejal an-nds w-la wuddi dtark. 


1. Cursed be thy father! O thou who askest for a thorough- 
bred camel only. 
Between me and thee is He who sits on a high throne 
and who will tame thee, 
2. Did I not tell thee of a great herd of camels black as 
the spur of lava, 
Of a large tent, and a slender maid that will come to thee? 
3. A tender one who, playing with a stick on the dancing 
ground, 
Steals the hearts of gallants and will charm thee? 
4. If thy Lord intends to grant thee luck, 
He will show and throw down to thee the ropes of chance; 
5. And if He means to visit thee with trials, 
If thou wert on high mountain summits He would cast 
thee down. 
6. The pipe of bone, O ‘Am‘tm! be not thy consolation, 
Beware and again beware of tobacco, for it will harm 
thee. 
7. O little fool! seest thou not I advise well and feel for 
thee? 
Some sons of good families will be found, but I hate 
to vex thee. 


Verse 2. A zowd is a herd numbering seventy to eighty 
camels. The “Atejbe are famous for raising black camels. 3. ‘Ud 


CAMELS 565 


al-megarra is along staff or saber brandished by a girl while 
dancing to keep away the youths who press on her. 4. Ahbdl 
al-asbéb are opportunities for achieving success. 5. Swahtz 
are high, steep, impassable mountains. Here they mean the 
greatest glory, affluence. 6. Al-‘azm is a piece of bone used 
by the Bedouins in mending a broken short pipe. 7. ‘E7dal 
an-nds, eben an-nds, are sons of respected families, whom the 
uncle could adopt. 


1. Li fateren masiha tumi 
kat° al-fejafi mzarrtha 

2. béetfaha lahh bergumi 
min kutr ma-ni malahiha 

3. al-horr elja sdr mazhtiimi 
jesbeh bnabi ‘awdliha 

4, cam lejleten ma beha nowmi 
‘aleyve min abrak lejdltha 

5. 7a ma hala hazz umm hartimi 
w-as-subh ja‘gibk tahalltha. 


1. I have an old camel with a rocking gait, 
Which I train to ride over level plains. 
2. A bald spot has been worn by my heel on her shoulder 
By my constant rubbing. [blade 
3. [She is like] a falcon of gentle blood, by hunger frightened, 
Resting on the peak of the highest mountains. 
4. Oh, how many sleepless nights 
Have been to me the nights most blessed of all! 
5. How sweet the urging of a long-lipped camel, 
And in the morning thou shalt wonder how strong 
she looks. 


The poet is unknown; the reciter was Mindil al-Kat‘l. 

Verse 2. A camel used for long journeys generally has 
on her right shoulder blade a bald spot, the size of the palm 
of a hand. The constant friction against the shoulder blade 
causes the skin to become bruised and bloodshot, especially 
if the rider’s footgear is made of hard leather and he must 
urge the animal to greater speed with kicks. 3. If a pure- 
blooded falcon fails to catch its prey for a long time and is 
hungry, it settles on the highest summit, whence it has a 
wide view and can sooner sight the desired prey. 4. When 
the Bedouin is asked a large price for the girl he loves, he 


366 RWALA BEDOUINS 


takes part in predatory expeditions and raids to far and dan- 
gerous countries, in order to gain the required number of 
camels. The night marches through the enemy’s country bring 
him the greatest profit, as the booty is obtained and brought 
away more easily. 5. At night the speed of a good camel is 
fastest and also she tires least at that time. Umm hartim 
. is the name given to camels with the underlip hanging down, 
so that it looks larger than the upper one. 


1. Bakrati helwen demilah bel-halawi 
mubrama wuddi btasju. tibe 

2. ummaha min gejs hammdd al-hawi 
bakraten min raijje gatna rasibe 

do. ma temanha kat‘dnen w-mzawti 
binten labu rimadn wa? waj negibe 

A. Sarbet min bezze w-zd‘at lel-egrawi 
wa-mrahat ‘end al-mhejzer bel-gedibe 

5. jowm tefka* éennaha al-horr an-nedawi 
aw zgelimen zd° min dawwen rami beh 

6. nahharah ahl al-karam w-ahl al-kahdwi 
jeabbertinak kabl ta‘kel an-negibe. 


1. In the desert my young camel has a pleasant gait; 
She is muscular, and I desire that only good be said 
of her. 
2. Her mother hails from the Hammad al-Hawi’s riding 
. camels; 
My young camel came to us with a herd against her will. 
3. With gold she was not paid for, nor with black cloaks, 
She is a daughter of Abu Riman — ah, glory, the noble one! 
4. She drank at al-BeZZe, ran as far as al-Gerawi, 
Having spent the night by al-Mhejzer. 
5. When excited by a gallop she is like the best hunting 
falcon, 
Or the ostrich running from a plain when a shot has 
been directed at it. 
6. People both generous and fond of good coffee flock 
to see her, 
Offering money for her before thou couldst fetter the 
left foreleg of the noble beast. 


The poet was Ratit, a servant of Prince an-Niri; the 
reciter, Ratit himself. He praises his camel which he had 


CAMELS 567 


captured during a raid in the Sararat territory. Verse 2. 
Hammad al-Hawi, chief of the Sararat. These Arabs devote 
themselves to the breeding of thoroughbred camels, produc- 
ing famous males whose name is known everywhere. 4. Al- 
Bezze is a watering place near al-Mzérib in Syria. The well of 
al-Gerawi lies in the Sirhan depression, thus 370 kilometers 
southeast of al-Mzérib. Al-Mhejzer is the name of wells 105 
kilometers northwest of al-Gerawi. 6. Whenever he stops with 
his camel before a tent in a strange camp, men come running 
from all sides offering to buy her from him. After making 
a camel kneel, the rider ties, ja‘kel, her left foreleg with a 
short rope above the knee. The camel is negibe, pure-blooded, 
noble, because both her sire and dam were recognized as 
thoroughbreds. 


1. Madden min al-drez erkejben terifi 
jetlen eben ‘artig mezdem beni lam 
2. zahdbahom kamh al-kerdja-n-nazifi 
wa-slahahom muhh al-frangi w-ar-rwdm 
do. wa ma kata’ besakteh min ‘asifi 
wa min fdteren tahod ‘an al-ge7s 2iddadm 
4. ‘okb as-sahem wa-mldfaheé lar-radifi 
adarregé céennet kasimt al-azdam. 


1. A small troop on riding camels left al-“Arez at a quick pace, 
Following Eben ‘Arig, the commander of the Beni Lam. 
2. Their supplies consist of clean wheat bought in villages 

And their arms are the best the Franks and Greeks 
produce. 

3. Ah, how many camels barely trained he has already 
tired with his haste! 

And old ones too, while [his she-camel] always keeps 
ahead of [other] riders. 

4. Gone is thy fat, gone is thy gay teasing of thy second 
rider, 

Nevertheless, I force thee to walk as if thy forelegs 
were broken. 


The poet is unknown; the reciter, Mindil al-Kat‘i. 

Verse 1. Terif is the term applied to a she-camel walking 
at a long, fast pace, grazing all the time. This saves time for 
the rider. 3. By constant urging, besdkteh, he has left behind 
enkata‘, not only many a young camel that had not been 


368 RWALA BEDOUINS 


ridden long, ‘asife, but also old camels. 4. Owing to this treat- 
ment his own camel has lost all the fat of her hump, saham, 
as well as her spirits, which made her touch with head and 
lips the second rider, mldéfah lar-radif, who was sitting bare- 
back and had tickled her slightly. 


To save his animal’s strength the rider lets her rest a 
little before sunrise and after sunset; this is called sofratén. 

A tired camel is known as mutlajjese. If so exhausted 
that she cannot rise with the rider any more, she is called 
tdwije; she has, they say, used up all the marrow of her 
bones, md bazi beha muhh. Then she needs a rest of at least 
three months and a good pasture in order to recover completely. 


DRINKING FROM A CAMEL’S PAUNCH 


There is hardly an adult Rwejli who has not on some 
occasion drunk water from the camel’s paunch. If the raiders 
are tormented with thirst, they kill a few camels, cut out 
their paunches, cars, which are full of water, let the water 
settle, and then drink it. MeZhem eben Gandal attacked the 
Sararat in the al-Hunfa territory and captured large herds 
of camels just returning from pasture. Being short of water 
himself and fearing lest the pursuing Sararat would occupy 
the nearest wells, he had about fifty camels with the biggest 
bellies killed and the water bags refilled with the water from 
their stomachs; then he steered clear of the wells and returned 
to his people, who were encamped in an-Nukra south of Da- 
mascus and about 1000 kilometers from al-Hunfa, without 
suffering any loss (see above, pp. 94f.). 


DISEASES OF CAMELS 


The camels suffer from many diseases, the majority of 
which are due to inflammation of the bowels and joints. As 
it is impossible for me to define the various ailments with 
any sort of precision I quote them exactly as they were ex- 
plained to me. 

Hméar: inflammation of the bowels of young camels; in- 
curable. 

Radda: inflammation of the brain of young camels; in- 
curable. 


CAMELS 369 


Lowa: inflammation of the bowels of grown camels; 
treated by burning three times with a red-hot iron around 
the abdomen. 

Sowka: inflammation of the bowels and constipation; 
treated by burning three times around the kidneys. 

Ross: inflammation of the bowels causing diarrhea; 
treated by burning seven times on the abdomen. 

Calba: stomach ulcers; treated by burning on the back. 

Tejr: muscular paralysis; incurable. ~ 

Zal*: inflammation of the joints, as follows: 

Sabba*®: general inflammation of the joints; treated 
by burning around the particular joints; 

Mowah: inflamed and swollen legs; treated by pierc- 
ing the swollen places with a small sharp peg, 
hlal. 

Tifen: inflammation of the lower thigh accompanied 
by swelling; treated like mowah. 

Rasds: inflammation of the hoof; treated by pierc- 
ing the fore part of the hoof. 

Arédb: inflammation of the whole of the hind leg; 

_ incurable. 

Gerad: inflammation of the shin bone of the foreleg; 
treated by a light singeing with burning nasi 
plants or dry hemri grass. 

Nisam: inflammation of the knee; incurable. 

Mal‘: inflammation of the fore shoulder; incurable. 

Fatk: inflammation of the armpit; treated by burning. 

Bhuz: inflammation of both forelegs above the knees; 
treated by burning. ; 

Niéab: inflammation of the whole foreleg; treated 
by burning all round. 

Fars: swelling of the rdreb, withers; treated by burning 
three times. 

Rekab: swelling of the knee; treated by piercing. 

Hajja: ulcer above the stomach; treated by burning three 
times. 

Aéla: ulcer on the shoulder blade; treated by burning 
three times. 

Hdfra: ulcer inside the head which then breaks through 
into the jaw; incurable. | 

Nadsub: ulcer on the back; incurable. 

Tdlu*: ulcer on the breast; incurable. 


370 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Sarar: ulcer on the breastbone; treated by burning with 
sulphur. 

Kasar: contraction of the back; treated by burning. 

If a riding or pack saddle does not fit well on the hump 
or sides of the back, there appear on the galled spots blisters 
called lhtid, which disappear if the galled animal is not used 
for several days for either riding or carrying loads; other- 
wise putrefaction sets in. This condition is called dabar. 

When a camel accustomed to walking only on sand or 
small gravel must walk for some time through a voleanic area, 
the skin under her hoofs becomes bruised and bleeds, hafa’. 

khasa’ is a camel in whose hoof either a thorn or sharp 
stone has stuck. 


CHAPTER XII 
HORSES 


The Bedouins assert that no horses were created by Allah 
in Arabia. According to their tradition they brought their first 
horses from the land of the settlers whom they raided. In the 
inner desert the horses have no place and would perish, did 
not the Bedouins look after them better than they look after 
their own children. A runaway horse cannot live long in the 
desert, while a camel will persist even without a man. Horses 
are of no economic value but serve merely as weapons for 
the getting of booty and influence. For this reason they are 
called al-murnijdt, the enriching. It is said that the mares’ 
bellies contain treasures and their backs help to win power, 
al-hejl butinahen kanz wa-zhirahen ‘azz; for they give their 
owner colts which can be turned into money at any time, and 
it is much easier to make or repel an attack on horseback 
than when mounted on camels. The more horses a tribe has, 
the more feared it is by its neighbors and the greater its 
power. But successes gained on horseback are not lasting. The 
defeated neighbors unite for revenge, and soon both the riders 
and horses are annihilated. Hence the saying: “The horse reins 
are snakes, and death dwells on their backs; al-hejl ersdnahen 
hajaja wa-zhirahen manaja.”’ 


HORSES OF DIFFERENT KINDS 


The Rwala classify horses!® as common ones, kdis (pl., kuds), 
and thoroughbreds, asil (pl., asdjel). The common horses are 
not kept in the desert. Of the thoroughbreds they raise for the 


10 The different parts of the horse (Fig. 49) are called: 


1. ‘arniina 12. hegrat al-‘ajn 24. sebib 

2. minhar 18. iden 25. fahad 

3. bortom — 14. sarstir al-iden 26. tafne 

4. Seleme 15. fats 27. Sarkub 

5. msakkam 16. ma‘dref 28. kra‘ 

6. hanak 17. rukuba 29. dejd, udder; stir, teats 

7. waride 18. hdreé 30. surra, sirr 

8. gebha; in the middle, 19. abaéher 31. batn 
sd‘ed 20. zahr 382. gamb 

9. kussa 21. msammat 33. Sdéele 

10. medadme® al-‘ajn 22. kata’ 34. ki® 

11. ‘ajn 23. ‘okrat ad-dél 35. mabten 


O71 


372 RWALA BEDOUINS 


most part mares of the following breeds: 1. khejle, 2. sakla- 
wijje Zudranijje, 3.dhama, 4. ma‘nakijje, and 5. gilfe. However, 
the following are also recognized as thoroughbreds: 6. ham- 
danijje, T. ‘obejjet ummu grejs, 8. swétijje, and 9. amm ‘arkub. 
The khejlet al-‘aguiz breed is supposed to be the oldest, from 
which all others have descended. The stallions of any of the 
above-named breeds can be admitted to cover, but the colt 
always bears the name of its dam’s breed. 

A thoroughbred mare is called faras, the plural being 
expressed by the word hejl, and as, with but few exceptions, 
only mares are bred, the word faras has come to mean horses 
regardless of sex, the rider being known as a fares; the plural, 
fursdn, is rarely heard, sanam or hejl being used instead. 

Each horse and mare bears certain marks indicating its 
value. These marks are called sijdse, and whoever understands 
them, jestis si7dsetha, decides whether a mare is good or not. 
A good mare has long ears, legs, and neck; the croup, the 
root of the tail, and the coronet, zén, are short. The nostrils 
and eyes are large and the distance between the foreknees, 
fahga bén riglejha, broad and spacious. The forehead should 
bulge forward, gebhatha ndtta’, the breast should be arched, 
and the forelock, mane, and hair of the tail should be thick, 
‘elematha w-‘acwaha. 

Curling hair from the navel to the udder is called dumejtir. 
Two curls one above the other, between the eyes are sa‘dén; 
hejcelén are curls on the right and left side of the neck, and 
zibdet as-sakf are curls on either side of the sexual organ. 
All these curly spots of hair, fatdjel, are signs of good qua- 
lities in the mare. 

On the dhama, ma‘nakijje, and gilfe breeds the Rwala 
love to see white spots called nisdn (pl., nijdSin) either on 
the forehead or legs. A small round spot on the forehead is 
a nagme; a long one a rurra; if it extends to the upper lip 
it is a zedah. A white spot on the leg is a hagela. A mare 
with short white spots on both hind legs and on the left foreleg 
is known as mehaggelat at-taldte mutlekat al-jemin. If there 


36. Sofejne 45. rasan a, ‘adema 

37. rukba merwat, posteriors. b, nkejra 

38. dra‘ zabwa, sexual organ of c, mhaddade 

39. mhaddade the mare d, zén 

40. zZén sakf, labia of the sexual e, makatt as-sa‘r 

41. hdfer organ of the mare f, hdfer 

42. sadr hosjdn, testicles fi, ‘ofejnt al-hdfer, the 
43. waré tejs sexual organ of inner fleshy part 


44, siéime, rasme et the stallion g, hda’, horseshoe. 


HORSES 573 


is such a short white spot on the mare’s right foreleg, the 
leg is called jad al-kateb; if only on the left hind leg, al-mer- 
éebe; spots on both hind legs only are known as sirwal. 

Kazat are mares which bite the bridle tightly when run- 
ning. They must, therefore, breathe carefully and can run much 
longer than mares with open jaws. 

Signs of bad qualities are: a curly spot above the nostrils, 
kabr; one at about the middle of the neck in front, Sakk al- 
gejb; such spots (known as trabi7jat) on the lower part of the 
thighs, tafne; and similar spots above the heart. Other un- 
favorable signs are: a white spot on the lower lip, ‘azz an-nd- 
ged; a white spot on the left foreleg only, nakkalt al-cefan; 
a white spot on the left fore- and right hind leg, gebrds; and 
finally such spots on both forelegs only, Ze7d. 

To destroy or at least to moderate the unfavorable signifi- 
cance of these marks, sijdsdat an-nijasin, the owner of the mare 
lays a black goat on her shoulder blades, kills it, and lets the 
blood run down over the mare. This is called nattah as-sa‘ur. 

The Rwala prefer a pure white mare without any other 
color or shade. Such a mare is called safra’. The chiefs appear 
on mares of this color at all the local festivities, as-sifr markub 
al-amara len-nazdra, but never use them on their raids, as 
pure white objects are visible both by day and night at a 
great distance. 

A zerka’ (Fig. 50) is a white mare with many fine black 
hairs. If the dark shade predominates, it is a zerka’ nilijje; 
if it is reddish in places, zerka’ rabsa’. 

A dark brown mare is called hamra’ (Fig. 51); if without 
any white spots, hamra’ talsa’; if there is a white spot on 
one of the legs, hamra-mhaggela, and hamra mhammasa if 
the color reminds one of roasted coffee. 

A light yellow mare is called sakra’. If she shines like 
gold, Sakra’ dhuib; one with all her legs white up to the knees 
is Sakra’ mhawwaza. 

A dark colored or black mare is known as dhama’ and as 
dhama? rurabijje if she has the bluish luster characteristic of 
a raven. 

The Rwala imagine that the speed of a horse can be guessed 
from its color; they also say that ‘the sakra’ mare will not 
be overtaken by one of any other color, if the gallop be not 
of long duration. The Sakra’ is the fastest but not the most 
enduring of the mares. The palm for this quality belongs to 


374 RWALA BEDOUINS 


the hamra’, which can gallop or trot all day without sinking 
from exhaustion. 


BREEDING OF HORSES 


The large clans have, as a rule, only one stud horse; this 
they never keep in the camp together with other horses but 
intrust it to the care of a specially selected slave, who pitches 
his tent in some gully beyond the camp, from where the stud 
horse can see no mares. To prevent the horse from catching 
sight of some runaway mare the slave hangs a full nose bag 
over its head early in the morning, leaving it on until evening 
and only taking it off while the animal is being watered. No 
more than two mares a day are covered, sabbuh or ‘alluh, by 
the stud horse, one in the morning, natt, and the other in the 
evening, hasm. When a mare is in heat, mu‘ti, she must be led 
in as soon as possible; otherwise her heat might pass, ektafat. 
The owner of the stallion asks the owner of the mare whether 
he wants a morning or evening cover, natt walla’ hasm, or both. 
If he decides for both, no other mare will be led in that day. 
For one cover the charge is one or two megidijjat ($0.90 —1.80) 
and is called mohr al-hsdn. 

The period of twenty-five days after the mare’s covering 
is called ‘edijet as-Sba°>. After that time she is led to the stud 
horse again, je‘arrezha. If she kicks out against or repulses 
him, it is judged that she has conceived, akzabat; she is then 
known as lkaha and has to be well nursed and fed so as to 
avoid a miscarriage, tarahat or ramat. In the last month before 
foaling the mare is called muhres. When she has foaled, afradat 
or waledat, she is known as rartus. If a male colt is born, it 
is simply buried in sand or thrown into a gully so that the 
mother may not be weakened needlessly. The birth of a filly 
is the cause of rejoicing to all the owner’s family and of con- 
gratulations from both his kin and acquaintances, just as if 
a boy had been born. Such a rartis mare is then wrapped up 
in blankets, taken to the tent on cold nights, and gets better 
food than the owner himself; for a whole year thereafter no 
one would think of saddling and riding her, in order that the 
quantity of her milk may not be reduced and that the filly 
may be well nourished. The filly also gets camel’s milk both 
in the evening and morning, and often the owner and his family 
go to bed without supper so that the mare and her young may 


HORSES D15 


have sufficient food and milk. The ears of the new-born filly 
are tied together with a silk thread to make them grow close 
together and symmetrically; they also shorten the root of its 
tail to make the mare when grown-up carry it upright in a 


} 


Fic. 49—Diagram of a horse. 


gallop; they blow into its nostrils to widen them; shout the 
name it has received into its ears, and even smear the filly 
with tar to protect it from the effect of noisome smells. 


In its first year the filly is called felw 


Perse 8 sy hy oy yy ROW 

Oona a8 1 third ” ” ” ” ” geda* 

Hie, fourth ” ” ” ” ” tenijje 

999 fifth ” ” ” ” ” rbaijje 

Pel Sixth ares tp eG eMor miuwal dirst) karl 
pee erovenin’.; . 9 >)” >, Lant (second) karh, etc. 


After the fifteenth karh, i.e. beginning with her twenty- 
first year, a mare is called ‘awda; between her first and tenth 
years she is a mohra (pl., mohdar). 


576 RWALA BEDOUINS 


The word rumaka is applied both to a mare and to a 
woman who is neither too young nor too old. One may ask: 
“Hi bint, is she a virgin still?” and receive the answer: “Ld 
w-allah hi rumaka zéne, no, she is a pretty woman in her best 


Fic. 50—A zerka’ mare. 


99 


age.” “Has-surba ma‘aha hoson, are there stallions with this 
troop?” “Lillah killehen rumak mé beha hsdn; no, only grown 
mares; not a stallion among them.” | 

Hsdn (pl., hosn) is a stallion between its fifth and twentieth 
years; after that time it is called ‘awd. 

There is hardly a mare that is owned by one man only. As_ 
a rule she belongs to two men or even more, Seriée bel-faras, 
who share anything she may give, tetahdser al-behut bejn as- 
Sericén. If amare is bought by two Bedouins on the understand- 
ing that her colts also will be their common property, the deal 
is called bi‘ hegra. If the agreement is that the mare will belong 
to one but the first and second colt to the other, it is a bi° me- 
tani deal. When a man buys a mare for himself alone without 
any other agreement, a bi° mekalfa‘ is spoken of, though only 


HORSES ol7 


a city man or a European buys in that manner—never a son 
of the desert. 

The mare owned by two men is called marbat; the part 
owner who takes care of her is ra@“%-l-marbat. He is responsible 


Fic. 51—A hamra@ mare. 


for her health and must give compensation should the animal 
die or miscarry owing to his negligence. If the partners want 
to annul, jetakdsarin, their agreement, they go to the chief’s 
tent and declare it before witnesses, so that they cannot blame 
each other afterwards, whatever may happen. A partner can 
also be compelled to give up his rights, mukdsara, if the other 
or others desire it or have to sell the mare. For instance, the 
chief may be satisfied that the man who insists on breaking 
the agreement is unable in any way either to provide himself 
with new camels, to procure the amount needed to buy a bride 
for his son, or to buy weapons demanded by the avenger for 
blood that has been shed. Possibly the chief may be convinced 
that the part owner would not get as much for the mare from 
his own people as a stranger or a European offers him. Under 


578 RWALA BEDOUINS 


such circumstances the chief might well decide to sell the ani- 
mal in question himself and to give the unwilling part owner 
one half of the proceeds. The latter also is privileged himself 
to buy out the other’s share in the mare at the figure offered 
by the stranger. The price paid for a mare is called sijak. 


EQUIPMENT, USE, AND VALUE OF HORSES 


The word for a horse saddle (Figs. 52, 538, 54) is merSeha; 
“Saddle the horses! merseht-l-hejl.”” The saddle consists of a 
leather or quilted, woolen cushion, Zerijje (Fig. 52a), sewn to 
a cloth cover, libbdde (d), and firmly fastened to the saddle. 
The saddle is also supplied with girth and stirrups; b, rds al- 
bedd; c, karbuz; e,hrig al-merseha; f,helak; g,hzdm; h, btane; 
j,zamha; k, bzim; l, rukb. : 

The rein is very simple; the bridle proper, ‘andn (Figs. 55, 
57, pp. 392-393) with an iron ring, ‘azeda (a), is but rarely used. 

The forelegs of a mare are nearly always fettered with an 
iron chain called hadid (Fig. 56, p. 392). “Sakk al-hadid “ala-l- 
faras,’ means “he fettered his mare’s legs”; “Haddedi-l-hejl, 
put fetters on the horses!” The single parts of the shackles are 
as follows: a, ‘arejza; b, ksuba; c, sinsile. They are closed or 
opened by a key which is usually in the care of the owner’s wife, 
daughter, or sister. It is also the duty of these women to har- 
ness the mare, especially when an alarm cry is given. Then 
the rein is thrown over her head and the bridle put in the 
mouth, saffafatha (or sa‘atatha) al-‘andn, or algamatha. “Sak- 
lab aw zabb bezgahr al-mohra w-dafa‘aha’ means: “the rider 
throws himself into the saddle of the mare and rides off.” 

The Bedouin never undertakes a long trip on a mare but 
always on a camel. Only when he pays a visit to a neigh- 
boring camp, or rides out to meet a dear guest, or repulses 
an attack, or assails the enemy’s herds will he use a horse. 

With a rider on her back the mare will walk with a light, 
long pace, tekudd kadda. When defiling before their prince or 
commander, ‘arza, on a festive occasion or in time of danger, 
the Bedouins hold their mares up short so that they leap for- 
ward, rise on their hind legs, back slightly, and then leap 
forward again. This performance is called hedeba or tehaddob. 
In a mock battle, le‘eb al-hejl, or during a man-to-man fight, 
trad, the mares will spring in the same manner. Mares gallop 


HORSES 379 


only when racing or in the attack, rdra. _To stop his animal the 
rider cries: “Hams haj;” to start it: “Ghara gharab.” 


If I call a person, I say of: myself: asth. 


pai canmare Saas is abt. 

” ” camels ” ” ” esaje’. 
” ” a donkey ” ” ye ekarres. 
” ” a dog ” 9) aS esli. 
eee sheep 1h ey ethi. 

” ” a falcon ” ” i ad‘. 


As mares are hardly ever sold, they have no fixed price. 
If a man wishes to buy a certain mare, he must pay whatever 
the owner asks, and the latter generally wants more than the 
buyer offers. It is said in the desert that the price of a thing 
is fixed by him who wants it, as-sil‘a tetba‘° ar-rdreb. The Bed- 
ouins pay each other as much as ten camels for a yearling 
mare; for a three-, four- or five-year-old mare they offer 
from fifteen to thirty thoroughbred riding camels. An adult 
stud horse is usually cheaper than a yearling mare. 


LOSS OF HORSES 


When a Rwejli’s mare has been captured by the enemy 
and then recaptured by another Rwejli, the latter is obliged 
to return it to his fellow tribesman but must be paid a she- 
camel as compensation. A colt of the same mare captured by 
a Rwejli must also be given back to the owner, six camels 
being the reward in this case. Such a colt is known as 77%. 
The question then asked is: “Didst thou get thy [captured] 
mare or her colt? gdtak farask walld-l-r?’.” 

On learning who has recovered the colt of his captured 
mare, her owner goes to him, saying: “The daughter of my 
mare is with thee, I demand her from thee, ana garitha ‘alejk.” 

“That is not true, this is not the daughter of thy mare. 
I myself paid so-and-so many she-camels for her; to which 
the owner replies: 

“Good, now keep to the figure thou sayest thou hast paid, 
ok‘od li bima sikt, till I bring my witnesses.” 

‘“T will do so,” agrees the other, and those present declare: 

“We are thy witnesses that he will keep to such and such 
a figure and that he will neither sell nor take away the colt.” 


380 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Then the owner goes to seek the captor. The owner in 
search of his animal is called kassds; he is free to go even 
to the enemy, who in this case must help. On arriving at the 
latter’s tents, he inquires after his stolen mare and her colt. 


Fic. 52—A horse saddle, mergeha. 


On finding what he seeks, he asks one of the enemy to come 
with him as a witness that the captured filly is actually the 
daughter of his stolen mare. Testimony of this kind being 
indisputable, his tribesman says: “Give me the proper compen- 
sation and take her! hat li sowkaha w-hodha.” He then gets 
five camels, the witness helping in the search, jakoss ‘anha, 
gets one, and the animal is returned to the original owner. 

The owner of the captured mare tries first to ascertain 
who has captured her and where she is kept. For the earliest 
reliable report of her whereabouts a reward of five megtdi7jat 
($4.50) is paid. Often the new owner, although an enemy, 
sends a report every year of the mare’s condition and of the 
colts born to her. 


HORSES d81 


Fic. 53 


Fig. 54 


Figs. 58, 54—Saddled mares. 


382 RWALA BEDOUINS 


CARE, DISEASES, AND NAMES OF HORSES 


Nothing causes the Bedouin so much labor and trouble as.a 
mare. It is easier to raise and bring up five children than a single 
filly, as the children require especial care only in their first 
two years but the care of a mare has no end. It is necessary 
to provide her with food and drink, to protect her against 
heat and cold, to guard her from disease and robbers, also to 
quarrel with the other part owners, etc. It is the business of the 
women and slaves to feed the mare and care for her—all the 
Bedouin man will do is to give orders. As soon as he rises in the 
morning he shouts: “Wake up the mare! ruddow nafs al-faras,” 
and his wife or his daughter hastens to fill the food bag with 
barley and hang it over the mare’s head. Towards evening, before 
the sun touches the horizon, he again calls out: “Hang it on the 
mare! ‘allezow ‘ala-l-faras,”’ and it is his wife once more who 
has to fill the bag and put it on the animal. At noon the master 
commands: “Water the mare!” and the wife pours water from 
the large leather bag — which she must often carry on her back 
home from the well — into a bowl and holds it before the rest- 
ing mare. The animal is led to the well only if this is in the 
middle of the camp and there are no signs of danger. No mare 
can be without water for longer than twenty-four hours. The 
whole camp may suffer from thirst, rds az-zma’, and the children 
cry for a drop of water, but the master, unmoved, will pour the 
last remnants of water into a dish and set it before the pam- 
pered mare. Frequently some spirited mare shies, saat, causing 
the others also to shy, Sawwasat al-hejl, and all to run out from 
the camp, but the Bedouin sits undisturbed, leaving the women to 
hurry after the animals, calm them, and bring them back home. 

The shoes worn by the horses are flat and thin and have 
a small hole in the center, hda’. Without a shoe, hafjdne, it 
is impossible for a mare to walk on gravel for any length of 
time, as its sharpness injures the hoof. 

The most frequent diseases to which a horse is subject are: 

Misma: inflammation of the muscles of the back; cured 
by a mixture of beleht al-lejl and feliti drugs (sold by the Ku- 
bejsi) and of coffee or melted butter, which mixture is poured 
into the nostrils, jesa“etuénah. 

Mwalli: inflammation of the bowels accompanied by diar- 
rhea; this is cured by burning around the navel with a red- 
hot iron. 


HORSES 383 


Zerd: ulcers under the chin; cured by burning the nape 
of the neck. 

Kares: a swelling of the belly; cured by smearing the 
shaved belly with a mixture of grape syrup, alum, and pepper. 
Sakwa: glanders; cured by inhaling the smoke of Sih. 

Sthar, msowhar: festering wounds on the back; cured 
by burning the root of the tail. 

Gerab: mange; cured by burning the diseased spot and 
rubbing in oil. 

Lwéref: ulcers in the vagina; cured by smearing with 
sulphur and butter. 

Hamra’: inflammation of the ankle. This arises generally 
when the exhausted mare has fed heavily and been watered 
immediately afterwards; it is cured by burning around the 
breast and by piercing the skin on the shaved ankle. 

Zufr: cataract of the eye; cured by dropping a mixture of 
rust, soot, and milk into the eye as well as by burning around 
the eye. 

Every mare is given a name expressing her real or imagined 
qualities or those which her master would like her to possess. 
A favorite mare of Prince an-Niri was called Diba, She Wolf; 
of his son Nawwaf, Sadha, Lioness; other mares of the prince 
were named: Farha, Joy; Frejha, Little Joy; Sa‘da, Good Luck; 
Nowma, Sleepy; Falha, Bringing Good Luck; Rarra, White 
Fronted; Smejha, The Little Gentle; Siha, Cautious; “Awna, 
Helper; Mriza, Provoking; and ‘Ejda, Saetaae It hennark Seen 
that a youth names the young mare which he has received 
from his father after the girl he loves, to remind himself of 
his sweetheart every time he calls his mare. 


SONGS RELATING TO MARES 
The Bedouin also thinks of his mare in his songs and poems. 


Ja Sowk ja bajjez al-rarra 
w-al-jowm wen ente 74 mali 
nahagt w-azef ma* al-garra 
w-la min siddizen w-la wali. 
O sweetheart! O thou with a white spot on thy forehead! 
And today, where art thou, treasure of mine? 
I followed thy footprints, every little while halting, 
And yet I found neither the mistress true nor my dear mare. 


384 RWALA BEDOUINS 


The youth’s mare was captured by the enemy before he 
had returned from a raid, and his beloved had married another 
in the meantime. 


1. Hajjeltaha-lja ma lakejt al-bdin 
w-ana-hmed alli gab li bint “ida 
2. elja sah sajjah az-zaha? w-ak‘adun 
am‘arekah w-ahuj jaftah hadidah 
3. gibbe w-dibbe wa-nsefah bimtini 
w-al-asel mad jadreb hatdt al-walida 
4. 74 tajehin ar-ra’j la tansedini 
Sibrén wakm hnikaha ‘an waridah 
5. w-elja rkazat kamat tethamel ‘ajzuni 
min riglaha al-jimna? hatran ‘ala idah. 
1. I left her sterile till I found al-Bditni, 
And him I praise who brought me ‘Ida’s daughter. 
2. When roused by the cry of alarm after the dew has gone 
I put a light saddle on her while my brother unlocks 
her fetter. 
3. A short coat of cloth and a supple spear, adorned with 
ostrich feathers, hang at my back — 
Thus a well-bred man will not speak ill of any of the 
gallant youths. 
4. O ye who err in your thoughts, inquire not of me! 
Two spans are her jaws from her white spot. 
5. When she gallops, haze covers my eyes, 
While her right hind leg threatens the foreleg with danger. 


The poet was a&-Sarrabi of the Singara tribe; the reciters, 
Prince an-Ntri and Hmar abu ‘Awwad. AS- Sarrabi refused to 
admit the camp stud horse to his mare ‘Ida. He heard of the 
stud horse Bdtni, owned by the Mtejr tribe which camped 
beyond the valley of ar-Rma’; yet the road thither was dan- 
gerous. Now it so happened that, while participating in a raid, 
he found himself near the camp where Bdini was kept. Leay- 
ing his comrades he took his mare to Bdtini, and in due time 
a filly was born. When it grew up, his friends came to see it 
but instead of praising it they only offered criticism for some 
blemishes in the young animal’s beauty. Especially the white 
spot on its forehead seemed to them to be too close to the 
jaws. AS-Sarrabi, who had repelled many attacks of the enemy 
on his young mare, roused by the taunts of his friends, an- 
swered them with this poem. 


HORSES 385 


Verse 1. The young mare is called daughter of ‘Ida, not 
of Bdtni, because a colt is always reckoned as of the family 
of its mother. 2. The enemy generally attacks when the dew 
has evaporated, as the camel herds are driven to pasture at 
that time. Saj7ah is either the herdsman or watchman who 
first sees the enemy and gives the alarm cry. The men amuse 
themselves till past midnight and stay in bed until dinner is 
ready for them, as breakfast is not known among the Bedouins. 
Ma‘reka or merseha is a soft, light horse saddle. 3. Gibbe is 
a short coat of good cloth with long, narrow sleeves tucked 
up at the wrists. Dibbe is a spear with a supple shaft. Nafes 
is an ornament of ostrich feathers fastened near the spear 
blade. When about to attack, the spear shaft is held at the 
right of the hip. AS-Sarrabi is a gallant youth, one of the hatat 
al-walida, undaunted young warriors, and therefore not to be 
taunted by men descended from old families. Walid as well 
as raggdl is more than walad or ragol. Walid, meaning a 
a real hero, is a stronger word than walad, youth, just as 
raggal, a man to be depended upon, is stronger than ragol, 
an ordinary man. Not every ragol is necessarily raggdl, or 
every walad a walid. 


1. Kal al-hzejri w-allatc tadanna leh 
bint ar-ra‘ejl min aslaha magdiba 
2. w-ld jakdar ar-raggdl al-kasir jucenniha 
illa fajarctha ‘ala Ssenhuba 
3. 9d cenn ‘ajdniha bimefrez rasaha 
niran harb bikennaten masbiba 
4. hamra? tawatta’? bi ‘ala mitl al-“amed 
kejtdtaha bizahraha mazbuba 
5. jabri-s-Serif jahott sergeh fowkha 
hadi ‘elim w-heggaten makliba. 
1. Al-Hzejri said of her whom he drew to himself, holding 
“By descent she is Ra‘ejl’s daughter, [her firmly: 
2. Whom a small man cannot bridle 
Except he stand on a big rock. 
3. Oh, the depth of her eyes, there where the forelock ends! 
They emit rays like beacons lighted on a high cone. 
4, Behold, a bay steps under me like a pliant branch; 
Her back in the middle is unbending. 
5. The Sherif would like to place his saddle on her.” 
This is my answer and the bargain [for him] is lost. 


386 RWALA BEDOUINS 


The poet was al-Hzejri from the southern territory, min 
dirt al-genub; the reciters, “‘Awde al-Kwéébi and Prince an- 
Nutri. Al-Hzejri had a bay mare called ar-Ra‘ejl. The chiefs 
of several tribes and the rulers of many settlements made 
him large offers for her, but in vain. The poor Hzejri would 
not part with her. The Grand Sherif of Mecca also heard of 
her and sent his son to al-Hzejri with large gifts. After 
examining the mare the Sherif’s son fettered her forelegs 
and, grasping her by the forelock, said: “Ask what thou wilt, 
thou wilt get it, but I shall get the mare.” Thereupon al- 
Hzejri drew the mare to himself and improvised this poem. 

Verse 1. Ra‘ejl is the name for a horse, whether stallion 
or mare. 2. Senhiiba is any projecting object — a boulder, 
a pile of stones, a low wall, etc. A man of low stature climbs 
a Senhiba by which his horse is standing and puts a bridle 
in its mouth. 8. Mefrez rdsaha is the spot reached by the 
forelock, which partly covers the horse’s eyes. Kenna is an 
isolated conical hill on which alarm fires are lit when the 
enemy is about to attack a herd spending the night far from 
the camp. 4. Kejtataha is the flesh covering the upper part 
of the thigh, mainly to the right and left of the root of the 
tail. The tougher and the less yielding to pressure this flesh 
is, the more fatigue will the mare stand. It is said of a fat 
but muscular mare: “She is so tough that an almond could 
be cracked on her back, kejtatha.” 

When he had finished his poem, al-Hzejri bestrode his 
mare bareback; at a sign from him the spirited animal broke 
the Sherif’s fetter by a mighty straddle of her forelegs and 
flew like a bird towards the vast desert. The Sherif’s son with 
his whole retinue went in pursuit but returned without catch- 
ing her. 


1. Kal az-zujudi becalamen jizidi 
‘afje kuctidi jowm gabni w-ddn 
2. eSri-l-asdjel la thabt-l-hasdjel 
lowhen hazdjel ld trdlin al-atmdn 
3. kbar ar-rumdjem éennehen al-bahdjem 
jowm al-hezdjem wakkefen tekil hemran 
4. bes-saff zerka w-rdéebha tekil jerka’ 
sakha mu‘arka’ bel-wara tegehm az-zdn 
5. safra wazah w-cennaha-z-zabi nezah 
rakezha gemah w-terkezha wast al-metndn 


HORSES 387 


6. Sakra dehub w-cennaha-d-dib maslib 
nafsah tedub elja-r‘aden ‘okob mukmédn 

7. bes-saff hamra w-awwal al“omr kamra’ 
w-ar-rduf samra bén gibbe w-kuftdan 

8. hamra teftih w-fowkaha tekil ja bih 
w-al-libes Guh w-sdheren jowm al-ekwan. 


1. Thus spoke az-Zujtidi in words somewhat lengthy: 
“Hail to my camel, that has brought me here and will 
take me away! 
2. Buy well-bred mares, fear no bad qualities, 
Even if they are lean — but pay no high prices. 
3. [Buy] those with broad heads as if of monsters, 
For on the day of hostile attack they will stand firm 
like lone hills. 
4. Thus one may fancy a white (mare) with bluish hair 
so tall that, methinks, the rider must climb on her, 
One on whose shin the veins stand out, one who during 
the fight will warily watch the spear shafts. 
5. A mare yellowish white, resembling a shy gazelle; 
Whilst galloping she gains speed and her tail covers 
the rider’s back. 
6. A gold-colored bay, like a wolf broad in front, narrow, 
in the back, 
When taking cover her soul flames up when she hears 
the stamping [of the enemy attacking]. 
7. Thus one may fancy a sorrel and youth, a moonlight night, 
And dark harness between my coat and caftan. 
8. A sorrel dashes with long bounds; and her rider, like 
a castle 
Dressed in a cloth jacket, appears everywhere on the 
day of the fight. 


Az-Zujtdi hailed from the Beni Hasan tribe in al-Belka’. 
His poem was recited to me by Gwad al-‘Ani. 

Verse 1. Gab w-ddn means “he brought and carried 
away” or “he rode with me hither and back again.” 2. Hazal 
is equivalent to za%f, poor or lean. 3. Rumma is the horse’s 
head viewed from the front. Hemrdn are isolated hillocks. 
Horses with broad heads will support even the fiercest attack. 
4, Bes-Saff means ‘‘as one may like or fancy”; bsaffi, “it looks 
good to me.” Tegehm az-zdn means “she watches the spear 
shafts,” that is to say, not only those of the attackers, thereby 


388 RWALA BEDOUINS 


avoiding the lunge, but also that of her master, in order to 
spring forward when he is about to stab. Zdn is the same 
as “ud ar-rumh, spear shaft. 5. The sight of a shy white ~ 
gazelle reminds one of a fast white mare. Rakezha gemdah 
means ‘‘she gallops with steps of gradually increasing speed.” 
While galloping the hair of the steed’s tail covers the rider’s 
hips. 6. Maslib means “pressed together, wide in the front, 
narrow at the back.” The wolf’s breast is broader than its 
hind part. If the bay is hidden under cover, mukmdn, together 
with the camel riders, sdbur, and hears the stamping and rat- 
tling, ra‘aden, of the riders from the attacked camp, she becomes 
excited and loses her wits, nafsah tedub. 7. The owner of the 
sorrel wishes that his youth, awwal al-omr, would return and 
stay for ever; that the moon would-shine for ever; and that 
he could wear dark armor, rduf samra, between his caftan 
and woolen coat. Ar-rdif, i. e. rddef (or murddef) hdim, 
a man clad in double garment, implies that he also wears under 
his clothes or over his clothes something dark, samra’, i. e. 
a Short shirt made of metal rings. 8. Teftih is used of a mare 
with a long stride and spring but hard to manage. She over- 
takes all, allows none to pass her, but obeys her rider only 
when so minded. “Jd buh!’ shouts the surprised Bedouin 
on sighting a tall object at a distance, being unable to say 
whether it be a pile of stones, a rider, or a camel. This happens 
particularly on sultry days when the air is not clear but quiver- 
ing with heat at noon. 


CHAPTER XII 
OMENS 


NATURAL PHENOMENA AS OMENS 


The Bedouin does not think deeply on religious matters 
and follows no rules in his religious observances. Nevertheless, 
he guides himself in all his social and private undertakings 
by certain fixed customs, observes the various natural phe- 
nomena, and pays heed to internal impulses and dreams which 
he holds to be signs or warnings sent to him by spiritual 
beings who wish him either good or ill. He is a firm believer 
in the existence of spirits and thinks it absolutely necessary 
to do all that is agreeable and avoid what is disagreeable to 
them. Woe to him, if he should anger them! To do so would 
frustrate all his undertakings. And anger them he would, 
should he not be careful in his words and actions nor give 
due regard to days of portent and certain signs both visible 
and invisible. 

When a Rwejli despatches a man on an affair of im- 
portance, he must not use the word “Ruh,” “Go!” or “Run!” 
He must not say: “Ride in the direction of the settlement of 
Bak‘a”’ or “of the al-Lmat wells.’ All these words invite death. 
For the verb rah, ruh, is used in connection with death or 
departure from this world. Bak‘a’ signifies a violent death, and 
al-lmadt also reminds one of destruction, or death. Therefore 
they are likely to say “Hrsed” for “Go!” or “Run,” instead of 
ruh and to substitute for the topographical names Bak‘a’ or 
al-Lmat the term Tajjebt Ism, which, referring to a settle- 
ment or a well, means ‘‘the name is a good omen.” 

More important matters the Rwejli prefers to leave either 
till noon or at least till the dew has fully departed or to 
despatch them before the fresh dew has fallen. These times 
of the day he considers the most favorable, because the spirits 
are then resting. But there is no day without some meaning 
attached to it — it is either suitable for an undertaking or 
not. These significations are called wagba or wagh; the favor- 
able ones being zén, the unfavorable Sén. The best days on 


389 


390 RWALA BEDOUINS 


which to begin a task are Mondays and Thursdays. Their wagba 
is not only favorable, zéna, but their countenance, too, is sweet, 
helw, so that they insure good results. Wednesday, Saturday, 
and the forenoon of Friday are not suitable. There is no spirit 
which would assist a Bedouin who begins an undertaking 
on any of these days, and he would be left to his fate, nasibeh. 
The other days of the week are of no significance whatever. 

The Bedouin observes the moon very carefully, counting 
his days in accordance with its waxing or waning. For both 
of these also have their good or bad countenance, wagh. The 
most suitable or lucky day is the first day of the month, if 
it falls on Monday or Thursday. Then the success of an un- 
dertaking is assured. Unlucky are such nights and days of 
the month as contain the numbers six or seven. The sixth, 
sixteenth, and twenty-sixth days of the month, called al-farad, 
are considered unlucky, as they break up or disintegrate any 
undertaking precisely as one can divide the figure six into 
two and two and two. The nights of the sixth, sixteenth and 
twenty-sixth of the month are called lejdli-l-rarak, the nights 
of flood, destruction. He who undertakes a work of importance 
on those days will drown his efforts in failure. Every being 
that comes into the world on any of these nights will surely 
perish and is on that account called rarkdn. A baby boy born 
on such a night will not learn to walk, la jaskom. 

The seventh, seventeenth, and twenty-seventh days of the 
month are likewise unlucky. The number seven, sab‘, is wholly 
under the domination of the spirits; anyone pronouncing it 
irritates the evil spirits and repels the good. Colloquially samh 
is used instead of sab‘, which is employed only in conjuring 
or swearing, and also in cursing to perdition — that is, when 
calling on the spirits with some object in view. 

The ninth, nineteenth, and twenty-ninth days remind one 
of the waning of the month, nefdz as-Sahr; for this reason 
it is better not to begin anything important on these days. 
A raid made on any of them will certainly fail, especially if 
led by several chiefs. On no other days of the month are 
there so many disputes and quarrels as on the ninth, nine- 
teenth, and twenty-ninth — it seems as if every human being 
was then unconsciously subject to irritation, mat*ds. 

The twenty-first day brings much evil into the world. 
The traveler loses his way most easily on that day. A child 
born on the twenty-first is called makrid, pursued by trouble; 


OMENS o91 


it will not die but will be sick most of its days and will leave 
no descendants, and its herds will not multiply. 

Just as every man and especially his pregnant wife wish 
that no child be born to them on the twenty-first day of the 
month, they still more ardently desire that it be born in the 
night of the fourteenth or twentieth, or on the day of the 
eighteenth. The night of the fourteenth is called lejlet al- 
kadr. A boy who sees the light of this world on that night 
will bring glory to his whole kin and clan — even to the 
whole tribe — and is therefore called bahit. The night of 
the twentieth is known as al-hatma and is lucky, zéna, to any 
undertaking. He who begins a task on the eighteenth is sure 
of success, for that date is favorable, wagheh zén. 

But it is not enough for the Rwejli to observe time and 
day; he must also watch his surroundings, as there are favorable 
and unfavorable qualities both in human beings and in animals. 
Many a kin, many a clan, bears a good omen, fdlhom zén, others 
again a bad one, fdlhom sén. When meeting any of them on 
an important journey the Bedouin knows at once whether he 
ean proceed farther or must return. A good omen is inherent 
in the Ka‘az‘a of the Rwala tribe; in the Malhtd kin of the 
MSelli clan of the Fed‘an tribe; in the Eben Fnejd kin of 
the Rassalin clan of the Kmusa division of the Sba‘a tribe, 
as well as in every pretty woman, hurma min al-bwéheg. If 
raiders approach a camp of some friendly Bedouins known 
to be possessed of a good omen, the chief or some prominent 
man from the camp rides out or runs to meet them with the 
ereeting: “Hasten after your luck! eflehow.’ The commander, 
then, making his camel kneel, jenawweh, answers: “May it 
be a good omen to me, which I accept; fali w-zebilteh.” 

Unlucky is the sign of the Bdtr of the E8age‘a and Frege 
of the Rwala; of the Hwejsan kin of the Rassalin clan; of the 
Mwéne’ kin of the ‘Ebede division, but especially that of the 
N‘ejm and Gimlan, who breed goats and sheep in the al-Hass 
hills. The Rwala never rest with the members of these kins 
or clans when going out on a raid but prefer to suffer hunger 
themselves and let their mares also suffer rather than to eat 
a mouthful with them. For each bite of food accepted from 
them brings failure, ‘alkathom kaSra; yet on their return 
they have no objection to refreshing themselves at any camp 
of these people. 

Failure is always attached to the Slejb, and their tents 


592 RWALA BEDOUINS 


are avoided by the warriors when on a raid; their hospitality 
is accepted only when some of the warriors are ill or wounded. 
The Slejb tend the sick carefully and carry them home when 
they have recovered or bury them when they die. When the 

raiders are tormented by hun- 
ger or pursued by the enemy 
they do not hesitate to seek 
help from the Slejb, who are 
despised by them at any other 
time. 

Animals also have their 
bad and good signs. The fox, 
al-hosejni, especially is an ob- 
ject of the most careful obser- 
vation by the Bedouin. If it 
halts on catching sight of the 
raiders and looks at the troop 
from both the right and left 
side, they know that they need 
expect no mishap but will re- 
turn with rich booty, fowd 
w-salame. A similar omen they 


Fic. 55—A horse bridle, ‘andn. see in a pure white mare when 
Fic. 56—Horse fetters, hadid. she breaks loose and, holding 
(See p. 378.) her head high, prances in front 


of the raiders as if leading 
them. When a hyena jumps out suddenly from its den and 
starts to hop at the head of the troop as if showing them 
the way, hatam ‘ala-l-razw, they begin to urge on their camels 
joyfully, believing the beast’s appearance to be a sure sign 
of booty. Two ravens flying above raiders from one side to 
the other cause the whole troop to shout j oyfully: “Iwo ravens 
and a good omen! rurdbén w-fdlen [pronounced fdnen] zén.” 
A rich booty is to be theirs without doubt. Other good signs 
are a sorrel with a white spot on its right foreleg; a white 
camel; a white ass with a dark bluish stripe on its shoulders, 
hmér hazgar or rsejdi; and a greyhound bitch, sleka. A long 
poisonous snake, called débb, when found during some serious 
undertaking is killed and thrown into the air. If it falls on its 
back in such a way that its white belly can be seen, the omen 
is favorable. All animals which are considered good omens 
are called aft-tlejzijjat. 


OMENS 393 


A Bedouin who has led in his mare to the stud horse, 
mounts her afterwards and rides around the camp until he 
meets a girl, to whom he says: “O daughter, just now I have 
led in my mare.” If the girl answers: “Be comforted with 


Fic. 57—A harnessed mare. 


the glad tidings that she will bring thee a filly, ebSer be- 
mohra,” both the owner of the mare and his whole kin rejoice, 
for this is a favorable sign, and they all expect confidently 
that the girl’s prophecy will come true. 

It is a common belief among: the Rwala that a one-eyed 
person is the bearer of misfortune. If a man meets one so 
afflicted, in order to destroy his unhappy influence he turns 
over a large stone, thus burying the bad omen. Hence the 
proverb: “If thou meetest a one-eyed person, turn over a large 
stone; elja suft al-“awar oklob hagar.” Nobody embarking on 
a journey of importance will have for his guide a man with 
his right and left upper eyeteeth missing, afrak as-sinnén, 
or one with blue eyes, azrar (sic) al-‘ajnén, for then nothing 
would succeed. Woe to those having intercourse with a woman 
whose breast is covered with down, or with a man without 
any beard or without down on any part of his body, agnas al- 


394 RWALA BEDOUINS 


genis al-hurmat al-halba’ w-ar-ragol al-melus, as both are the 
cause of various mishaps! A Bedouin who marries a person 
that is quarrelsome and censorious, al-hurmat ad-da‘dja w-an- 
na“aja, is never prosperous but will always be unhappy, both 
he and his children. A scolding woman wishes ill to her op- 
ponent in the following sentences: 

“Sab hal-wagh. May [a wild beast, demon] tear this 
face!” 

“Sacan jasba’ has-sdreb. May [the demon] utterly tear up 
this mustache!” Sdreb, mustache, means man in general. 

“Kow beh. Tekwu (or teku) bak. Burn him! May they burn 
thee! [Mayest thou become so ill that] red-hot iron must be 
applied to thee!” 

“Hamdet ar-rih. May the breeze of thy good fortune cease 
to blow towards thee!’ 

“Rajbt as-sa‘ad. May success be far from thee!” 

“Hejb as-sedd. Mayest thou be disappointed in thy most 
secret wishes!” , 

“Mowt an-nar. Mayest thou go to hell after thy death!” 

“Allah jiltan zén hal-hdim alli ma hi ‘al-ddmi mar ‘ala 
“ad as-sgara. May Allah curse this fine dress so that it will 
not garb a man but the stalk of a perennial!’ This means 
that the person dressed in that suit is, for lack of success, 
to dry up as the stalk of a perennial dries up when there 
has been no rain for several years. 

In making agreements the Rwejli must be very careful. 
If he agrees with his comrade that they will help each other 
faithfully in both good and bad days, ‘ala-z-zén w-as-sén, he 
must not change the order of the words and say ‘“ala-s-sén 
w-az-zén,”’ if he would not-bring bad luck upon himself. 

If a sorrel horse escapes from a raider and, dragging its 
rein, runs about in terror in front of the troop, the other 
riders try to drive it aside with their spears, shouting: “May 
Allah forgive thee! Semheé (or Sebhec).” They know that it 
brings bad luck to them, yet they will not kill it as it de- 
serves and therefore cry “Semheé,” instead of “Seb‘ec, May 
He destroy thee!” A sorrel with a white spot on both the 
right and left hind leg is called msazelbe because it throws 
its rider frequently. A mare who scratches with her forehoofs 
continually will ruin her rider as surely as a wife who cannot 
keep order, al-faras al-harradta w-al-marat as-sa“dta (or sar- 
rata). A camel with a curly spot on the root of her tail, ‘aker- 


OMENS B95 


bdn, must not be taken on a raid or war expedition, for her 
rider would come back without booty. 

Should the raiders on their march against the enemy 
meet a flock of goats or sheep, they halt until the animals 
pass. If they rode through the flock, they would cause their 
own defeat, for the enemy would scatter them in the same 
manner as they had scattered the goats or sheep. Whoever 
sights a solitary white gazelle, zebi, must not mount his mare 
for some time, for she would stumble under him, takantar 
or takanta‘, and he might hurt himself and thus meet with 
failure. A black dog, mballam, should be killed at sight, as 
the fiend is hidden in him and thus brings the Rwejli bad 
luck. The flesh of the wild swine which roam especially in 
the Sirhan depression or, according to the Rwala, in al-Wadi, 
is enjoyed by the Bedouins, who know nothing of permitted 
or forbidden food; pork fat they use in healing both wounded 
men and animals, but they hate to meet a wild swine when 
starting on a raid or on any other undertaking, because it 
brings bad luck. When a solitary raven or a rhama vulture 
is seen flying above the raiders, they shoot at it, crying: ‘““May 
Allah destroy thee! Sab‘ek (or Sab‘eéc).”’ They fear that if they 
did not kill the birds they would feast on the bodies of the 
fallen. If a raider’s rein breaks, he should return at once. The 
commander of an expedition must also turn back if he seats 
himself on a saddle wet by rain. A broken rein means that 
the mare will run about freely after her rider has been thrown 
from the saddle, while a wet saddle reminds one of the com- 
mander’s blood flowing down it. When a camel or a mare 
returns home stained with the blood of her slaughtered rider, 
she is generally sold to another clan or to the settlers, as 
the kin of the fallen man abhor riding an animal over which 
the blood of their kinsman has been spilled. 


DREAMS AS OMENS 


Much importance is attached by the Rwala to dreams. 
During sleep a man’s soul moves among spiritual beings from 
whom it can learn all things hidden from men, whether of the 
past, of the present, or of the future. In most cases Allah is 
appealed to by the Bedouins to send them dreams concerning 
their return from an important undertaking, helm mdwdt. 
Such dreams Allah grants especially to the commanders of 


396 RWALA BEDOUINS 


raiding troops. If the commander sees in his dream girls with 
loosened hair, bandten mufarra‘dt, or fresh clear water, green 
grass, cooked meals, etc., he knows that they will return home 
with booty and in good health, where all that he has seen in his 
dream will await them. If the commander in his dream pitches 
a tent or is holding a panther, he thanks Allah for allowing 
him to capture the enemy’s tent or make captive a brave foe. 
If he dreams of having rested with his troop under a green 
tree and of plucking figs and raisins from it, his comrades 
shout joyfully: “Success, success!”” A green tree signifies booty 
without danger; the figs, she-camels; and raisins are symbol- 
ical of sheep and goats. 

The commander of a Ka‘az‘a raiding troop prayed for a 
dream concerning his return, helm m‘dwdi. When lying down 
at night, he looked at the North Star, gedi, fixedly, talakka’-l- 
gedit, and then fell asleep. Whereupon Allah’s spokesman, al- 
mundbi, appeared, asking him: “Dost thou sleep or art thou 
awake, ent najem walla’ za‘ed.” “Awake,” answered the com- 
mander, springing up in fear, fazz. After a while he again 
fell asleep. Once more the spokesman appeared to him, putting 
the same question as before. When the commander answered 
in the same words, the spokesman said: “O booty! Thy booty 
is to be a cushion of a litter fastened with a gedi rope, jd 
bedd beddak min beddi w-min mehmelen beh gedi.” Then he 
disappeared. Waking up and unable to sleep any more, the 
commander now pondered over the meaning of this strange 
dream. When he told it to his comrades in the morning, they 
exclaimed: “Success, success! May Allah will it! But we do 
not yet understand it! Hejr hejr in sa-lldh mé na‘ref hada.” 
The commander was so terrified by his dream that he wanted 
to return, enéaf. Staying behind under some pretext, he turned 
into a deep gully and then started for home. However, after 
a while his camel suddenly turned around and galloped after 
the raiding troop, despite her rider’s frantic efforts to stop 
her. Thus nothing was left to the commander but to go on 
with the.raid. Before long he attacked the Mesalih, drove 
out their defenders, and, entering the camp by force, found 
himself before the chief’s tent where the ‘Atfa litter was 
standing, in which in times of danger the prettiest girl used 
to be seated in order to encourage the defenders to fight 
bravely and hold their ground. A cushion, bedd, such as is 
laid under the litter when fastened on the camel’s back, was 


OMENS 597 


lying beside it, and also a long rope, gedi, made of palm pith 
hung down from it. Then at last did the commander under- 
stand the meaning of his dream. Laying the cushion, bedd, 
on the saddle of a strong she-camel, with the help of his 
comrades he placed the litter there, fastening it with some 
straps, making it tight with the gedi rope, and rejoicing that 
he had taken from the Mes@lih clan their most precious pos- 
session, for once the ‘Atfa litter is lost it must not be used 
again. 

At one time the Rwala were camping near ar-Remte in 
al-Hamad. Rains had been abundant, the pasture was good 
everywhere, truffles and mushrooms grew in plenty, the cam- 
els gave more milk than ever before, and the Bedouins, 
therefore, were living in affluence, or, as it is called, were 
having an exceptionally good rabi*. Then it was that their 
head chief, Hazza‘, had a peculiar dream. He saw countless 
swarms of locusts coming from the inner desert, min Seré 
or min msarrez, to his camp, crawling into the tents, upon the 
beds, and into the food supplies, all over the camels, and—a 
strange thing to relate — the locusts carried away all these 
things — tents, beds, supplies, and even the camels. Suddenly 
there was a flash of lightning among the camels, all the 
herds. rose to their feet and galloped in the direction of the 
settled territory, w-al-bel kamat tehdbat w-haggat mrarrab. 
Hazza° told the people of his dream, but nobody could ex- 
plain it. At last, on the seventh day after the occurrence of 
the dream and when the herds had already grazed their fill 
on fresh grass in the morning, jowm Sab‘at at-tarég subeh 
min al-‘eseb, there appeared in the south Prince Eben RaSid’s 
raiding troops from the inner desert; these drove back the 
defenders of Hazza‘’s camp, entered the camp, and began to 
load the tents with all that was in them on their own and 
on the captured camels. The herds together with their herds- 
men were surrounded. The herdsman of the white camels, 
mardtir, who longed to save his herd, the pride of the whole 
tribe, finally thought of this stratagem. He saw that some 
pack camels were still carrying their pack saddles which had 
been left on them to conceal their galled backs from the 
sharp beaks of ravens and crows. These saddles, which are 
stuffed with straw and dry grass, he set on fire; this caused 
the terrified animals to shy, then to run away in mad fright, 
others following their example, and in a little while all the 


398 RWALA BEDOUINS 


herds were rolling in a confused mass out of the desert 
towards the settled territory. The raiders, after losing a 
number of their own riding camels, ge7s, had to retreat. Then 
at last did Hazza*° comprehend the meaning of the dream 
sent to him by Allah. 

One of the Rwala chiefs during a raid had a m‘dwdi 
dream. A bowl filled with rice was before him. Kneading a 
good-sized mouthful he put it in his mouth but had to spit it 
out quickly as it suddenly became intensely hot. He related 
his dream, hazzdh, to his companions, who said: «Success, 
success! We shall get booty, but it will be taken from us 
again; ndhod lena fowd w-jinfekk minna.’ And so it really 
happened. Attacking the herds of the Al Zeben, a division 
of the Shir tribe, they captured four and a half herds, kati’. 
Greatly pleased with their exploit, they rode toward home 
with them but met on the road a stronger raiding troop of 
the Hwétat, allies of the Shir, by whom they were surrounded, 
sardowhom, in a deep gully and defeated, losing not only all 
their booty but a good half of their own camels besides. 

A Bedouin who dreams that he has his head or beard 
shaved mourns, for this means that he will lose his dearest 
son or, at least, his mare and best camel. 

While asleep the Rwejli is threatened with many dangers 
from the spirit world, although it is Allah only who makes 
sound sleep possible; for a man will not fall asleep until his 
heart is willing, which means when he has banished thoughts 
of his various cares; ma tndm kowd kalbak néjem. When a 
Rwejli falls asleep, his soul, nesem or ruh, leaves his body 
through the nostrils, visits his relatives and the old camping 
grounds, goes out on raids, plays all sorts of incredible pranks, 
‘agajeb, eats and drinks, and the man will not awaken until 
his soul returns through the nostrils once more. 

Yet the evil spirit also knows that the sleeper’s soul 
roams about the world and so may make use of this oppor- 
tunity to settle in the sleeping body. The Bedouin then wakes 
up as one possessed, magniin. 

A sleeping person, having no soul, according to the Rwala 
belief, is as good as dead and must therefore not be killed by . 
an avenger; for spilt blood cannot be washed away by killing 
a sleeper, any more than it would be if one were to cut off 
the head of a dead murderer. 


OMENS 399 


When yawning the Rwejli must also be very cautious, as 
the throat opens wide during this process and the demon then 
may let a drop of its urine, jebileh, fall into the man’s throat; 
the urine enters the stomach and causes various diseases. 

The Bedouins should also watch the stars most carefully, 
because they have more properties unfavorable to man than 
favorable. Wounds will not heal when pierced by the rays of 
either the stars or the sun. Therefore the wounded person is 
laid, wrapped in all sorts of covers, in some corner of the tent 
so as to keep the rays away from him. Whenever people came 
to me with one of their wounded relatives, they first pitched 
a small tent behind the one occupied by me, closed it tightly, 
and then — not before — proceeded to uncover the wound. If 
a Rwejli loses his way at night, the stars are to blame, for 
he took his course from a certain star which changed its 
position imperceptibly, making the man take a wrong direction. 
Therefore he will not say “Tiht, I lost my way,” but “Bngemt, 
I was led astray by the stars.’’ When the stars begin to play 
with a Rwejli in this manner, even the North Star cannot 
be depended upon. The best thing to do in that case is to lie 
down and wait for sunrise. Then the Rwejli can take his 
bearings himself according to the landmarks and continue 
his journey. 


CHAPTER XIV 
SUPERNATURAL GIFTS 


SEERS OR SORCERERS 


Among the Bedouins there are persons, both male and 
female, who know and see hidden things and are able to heal 
the sick. The Rwala call them collectively ahl as-sirr or as- ~ 
serrijje, and individually ra‘ as-sirr, a lord (or owner) of se- 
crets, seer, whereas they are known among themselves as as- 
hab al-islam, owners of islam, possessing the protection of 
God. They maintain that they inherit their supernatural qual- 
ities, their slam, from their forefathers and that, therefore, 
the ability to heal the sick, discover what is hidden, foretell 
the future, etc., is confined to certain families. This the Rwala 
refuse to believe and often deride the seers openly. If, however, 
both the seer’s father and grandfather were also known as 
seers or sorcerers, then the Bedouins may admit the claim 
to be justified; but they scoff the more at the men and women 
who, having joined the seer, begin after some time to claim 
that they too have been endowed by Allah with the gifts 
of islam. 

The seer maintains that he communicates with an angel, 
malak, who announces to him the will of Allah. Such an 
angel, an intermediary between Allah and the sorcerer, is 
called mundbi or mndbi, spokesman. As a rule the mundbi 
appears in the shape of a rider seated on a white mare. He 
tells the seer what to proclaim in Allah’s name, and woe 
to him should he say something different from what the 
angel told him, ma jehci kowd hati al-malak, for the angel 
would kill him on the spot. The mundbi simply says: “O So- 
and-So, this or that is going to happen; this or that thou 
wilt proclaim; this or that do!” Besides the angel the seer’s 
ancestors also appear to him in the night between Thursday 
and Friday, instructing him how to behave. Yet neither the 
angel nor the ancestors ever appear without a thorough prep- 
aration on the part of the seer. 

Every seer has his disciples, /alldbt as-sirr, who are 
taught all the external performances necessary to display if 


400 


SUPERNATURAL GIFTS 401 


the mundbi is to appear. They come to the seer on Thursday 
night, accompany him on his visits to the sick and on raids, 
and join him whenever he commands them. One part of their 
duty is to carry little drums and other musical instruments, 
dfuf w-sis or dirbds. If the sorcerer wants to call the spokes- 
man-angel to him, he beckons to the disciples to play, while 
he himself squats with his head bent down. After a while he 
begins to move, stands up, stretches out his hands, jumps 
about, contorts his body, and puts his hands, feet, and even 
his head close to the fire, clapping his hands. The Bedouins 
say of this that he is just playing, jel‘ab, but his disciples 
call it yielding to the influence of the islam, ecstasy. When 
his enthusiasm reaches its climax, either Allah’s spokesman 
or some of the seer’s ancestors appear on the scene. After 
the climax has subsided, the seer, greatly exhausted, com- 
plains that he can do nothing. The Bedouins, however, who 
cannot be made to believe that this ecstasy is a mere prep- 
aration for the angel’s appearance, deride the sorcerer, im- 
itate his gestures, and call him one possessed and a juggler. 
Especially those of the new sorcerers whose ancestors were 
not known as seers are the target of their ridicule when 
trying to establish themselves. In this the Rwala are assisted 
by the acknowledged seers themselves, even by the new seer’s 
temporary master. The new sorcerer is called marsi, a fool; 
masduf, bereft of reason; habel, feeble-minded; wdse‘eh kej- 
fardn, full of unbelief; masfuh, drunk; ma‘ruz, one possessed, 
etc. Should he declare something as the will of Allah, all will 
laugh at him, for he could not learn anything from his an- 
cestors who were not seers themselves, and the speaking 
angel does not know him. Yet even if, after all, he achieves 
something extraordinary, they say he was helped by some 
spirit, gdnn, and with such the sorcerers never associate. 
However, by perseverance, patience, and courage a sorcerer- 
to-be in a few years will gain recognition not only from the 
Bedouins but from the hereditary sorcerers as well. The 
advance of such a sorcerer’s son in his father’s calling is, 
as a matter of course, much easier and speedier. 

In defense of their honor the seers sometimes resort to 
curses. They are unable by their own strength to ruin the 
scoffers, but their ancestors and the spokesman-angel with 
whom they communicate will ask Allah to punish those who 
dare to persecute them. These will die prematurely, their sons 


A02 RWALA BEDOUINS 


will be slain, their herds perish. The chief; Sakr eben Mes- 
reb, a famous leader of countless raids, was greatly incensed 
against both the sorcerers and their disciples because of their 
incessant greed and was once heard to say: “Oh, may Allah 
rid me of you all! If you have enough, you disturb every- 
body’s rest by your music and your foolery; if you are hungry, 
there is no being rid of you, you beggars; low Seba‘tu aw- 
dejtu w-low gi‘tu arzejtu.” On hearing this the insulted sor- 
cerers called a meeting and one of them, Mn&hi eben Dabbar, 
cursed Sakr in the name of all present. A few days later the 
chief was dead. 

Of the sorcerer’s curse the Bedouins stand in much fear. 
If anybody hears that a seer has cursed him, he makes haste 
to find the seer and, falling on his face before the powerful 
man, crosses his hands behind his back as if fettered and 
says: “I ask the protection of thine ancestor and am willing 
to bring a lawful sacrifice as a gift to him, ana déhel ‘ala 
geddekom w-ana hatt debihat geddekom mowhebha mowhebe 
Saraijje.” The sorcerer answers: “Agreed, it has arrived; 
tamma w-jamma.” The animal selected for the sacrifice is 
killed by the sorcerer at the edge of the tent, with its head 
turned south, while the sorcerer says: “O Allah, this sacrifice 
is destined for my ancestor.” Then he besmears with the 
blood of the sacrificed animal the center pole of the tent and 
the strip which strengthens its roof, farizet al-bejt; the meat 
he and his disciples eat, and the accursed is relieved. 

At the time when this was written (1909) the following 
persons were recognized as true seers: men: Mn&ahi eben Dab- 
bar, Ranném eben Gel‘tid, Sajjah eben Glejdan, Za‘al eben 
‘Awwad; women: ‘ESba bint Hmezi, Batha bint ‘Awwad, and 
Dlejjil bint Mazi. 

A sorcerer can give information whether and for how 
long it is going to rain; whether a wife will bear a boy or 
a girl; whether the young produced by the mare or camel 
will be a male or a female; whether a raid will succeed, ete. 

War expeditions on a large scale are always accompanied 
by a sorcerer who instructs the commander in anything he 
may undertake. The latter asks the sorcerer’s advice only on 
occasions when he is at a loss what to do. Then the seer 
stimulates himself with music and works himself into an ec- 
stasy, which helps him hear the angel speak and proclaim 
the will of Allah. 


SUPERNATURAL GIFTS 403 


Very often a sorcerer is summoned to the bedside of a 
person who is seriously ill. He comes either with all or a few 
of his disciples and settles down in the tent as a regular guest. 
During the day, but especially in the evening, he orders his 
disciples to play, while he squats by the fire with his head 
wrapped up and his face in his hands, listening to the music. 
After a while he begins to contort the upper part of his body, 
jumps up, seizes a small drum, beats it wildly, circles around 
the fire, and, dancing around the patient, raps him with the 
drum on the head and legs; then, throwing the drum aside, 
he lies above the patient, supporting himself by the feet and 
hands, breathes into his mouth and nostrils, kneels down, rubs 
the patient on the breast, stomach, and back, jumps up, dances 
around, and, then, lying on him again, mumbles unintelligible 
words. Sometimes he cures the sick person by this process; 
sometimes the patient dies. 

Sulhan’s little son, Feger, six years old, fell ill. Greatly 

troubled, the father entreated a sorcerer to cure his child. 
The seer soon appeared with his wife, and the first thing 
they did was to lay the boy’s head south and his feet north. 
The woman began to play, while the sorcerer bent down to 
the fire, waiting for the islam to take hold of him. Then he 
Jumped up, danced, lay on the boy, covering him with his 
body, breathed on his cheeks, and made curious erimaces, 
la‘ab ‘alejh, the woman beating a little drum all this time 
and dancing around them. The boy recovered. 

A certain woman was paralyzed for many years and un- 
able to stand on her feet. Finally Mnahi eben Dabbar was 
brought to her and played over her, la‘ab, for three evenings. 
On the third evening the sick woman suddenly jumped up 
and began to dance with him, and was well ever after. 

Feger eben Tajjeb of the Mwahib clan suffered from gout 
and was unable to walk, mharwal. On being sent for, the 
sorcerer stayed with him seven days, played over ‘him every 
evening, daubed him with his spittle, spat on him — and Feger 
became well. 


The sorcerers are accustomed to sing: 
Hala b‘ali az-zéni Welcome, ‘Ali, thou benefactor, 


ja Sejh al-geddéni Chief of my ancestors both; 
w-ali ja-bu hséni. ‘Ali, thou father of Hsén. 


404 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Jad baz ja geddi O ‘Falcon! O ancestor mine! 
hala? b‘sezzaddin Welcome to us, O ‘Ezzaddin! 
qa Sejh al-jemin. Thou chief powerful. 


Hala’ bzén an-nijje Welcome to us, thou who well meanest 
qa ra at-tawijje And knowest what is hidden. 


It is even said of the sorceresses that they can disappear 
from the tent unobserved. 


SOOTHSAYERS 


There are people living among the Bedouins, both men 
and women, who in some inexplicable way are able to tell of . 
hidden things, whether of the past, present, or future. One 
of their ways is to prophesy from the position of twenty-three 
objects cast about promiscuously. These objects are: seven 
round white pebbles, marwdt; one small piece of ambergris; — 
one fragment of broken glass, razdra; one small piece of a 
burned brick, hugrime; one fragment of a broken glass arm- 
let, kusmat ma‘zad; five small white sea shells, hams wad‘dt; 
one small piece of sea shell, misarra; four date stones, fsu- 
mat; one small piece of a glass ring such as is worn by mares 
on their necks, kusmat harsat faras; and one smooth silver 
ring, halkat hdtem fugza. The soothsayer, who keeps all these 
twenty-three objects in a leather pouch, shakes them out on 
the palm of his hand, throws them down on the carpet, and 
then begins to prophesy from their relative positions. 

Blejhan related to me: “My little brother, Gi‘an, went 
on a raid and did not return for a long time. My heart was 
sick with longing for him, w-kalbi wag‘én ‘alejh. So I went 
to a Hazmijje (woman of the Hawazem tribe) soothsayer, 
nahart al-hattdta alli “endana min al-hawdzem, and gave her 
a little tobacco, ‘atajtah Swaj7e titen. She said: 

‘What brings thee here, O youth? wés gdjebk 74 walad. 
Dost thou need something? lak raraz.’ 

‘I seek a lost camel and want thee to give me the sign, 
ana medheb w-abié tezrobi li bel-fal.” Taking out from a bag, 
mezwede, the pouch with those twenty-three things, she shook 
them out on her right palm, which she first lifted and then 
lowered again, threw them, tassatha, broadcast on the carpet, 
glanced over them, and then exclaimed: , 


SUPERNATURAL GIFTS 405 


‘O youth, thou seekest not a she-camel, ent md mzdje‘en 
mdahba. Thou art troubled about a raider; it is for him thy 
heart is aching. But be it known to thee that today his heart 
is calmer than thine, kalbeh al-jowm afza min kalbk. He will 
return to thee merry and unwounded, jegi farhan mé hw 
karhan.’ 

‘If he returns thus thou shalt get a dress or silk kerchief, 
en Can ga@ farhdnen leé towb willa’ makrine,’ said I and left, 
somewhat relieved. And, true enough, five days after this 
Gian came back well and bringing four captured she-camels. 
Then I gave the soothsayer that silk kerchief.” 

Gowfan eben Sadan of the Kmusa lost a camel, zajja‘. 
He looked for her in the whole neighborhood without result, 
and, although half of his neighbors knew of. his trouble, 
ruma-l-habar benuss an-nds, no one came to him with news 
of the lost animal. After ten days he finally went to a sooth- 
sayer, zarrabt al-fdal, Bosra bint ‘Orejé by name, of the Ha- 
wazem tribe, and said to her: 

“I wish to go on a raid. What sign wilt thou give me?” 
The woman raised her hand with the twenty-three objects, 
lowered it again, threw them broadcast, and after observing 
them said: 

“Why art thou talking of a raid? Thou hast lost a camel; 
that is what thou desirest to know — nothing of a raid. Be 
cheered with glad tidings. I see thy camel lying behind a 
stranger in the west.” This gave Gowfan a clue. He began 
to inquire what sort of a stranger camped in the western 
part of the large camp, and found that on that very day a 
tent had been pitched at the western end by an unknown 
Rwejli. Going there he began to search about the tent and 
at last saw in a neighboring gully his camel, fettered. The 
soothsayer received a megidijje (90 cents) for the welcome 
news, bSsdra. 

A herdsman drove a flock of sheep to water. He drove 
them back again at sunset, rdbat ‘alejha-s-Sams, and then let 
them graze as they pleased. Sitting down not far off, he soon 
fell asleep from exhaustion, n@m ‘anha. When he woke up in 
the morning, his flock was gone. He looked all around, shouted 
for them, but all in vain. Hastening, then, to the owner of 
the flock, ga’ haleh, he reported what had happened. The owner 
called all his kin, haleh, together and rode with them on horse- 


406 RWALA BEDOUINS 


back through the whole neighborhood, searching for the animals 
all day, but without avail, ‘agaz. Returning and saddling their 
camels in the evening, they began a new search, from which 
they did not return for fifteen days, hansta‘as wagbe (sic), 
again without finding a single trace of the flock..Then the 
owner decided to visit a soothsayer. Scattering her twenty- 
three objects on the ground before him, she said: “Hurry 
after thy flock with the wind, with the wind! Thou wilt find 
one half, thou wilt find the other half. Thou wilt find one 
after another.” When the owner asked what was meant by 
these words, the woman put him off with the remark that 
she did not know. Returning to his tent, he related to his 
people what the soothsayer had told him. The air was perfectly 
quiet at that time, but suddenly a strong wind began to blow 
from the south-southwest, which gave one of the relatives an 
idea. “Allah sends us a leader,” said he, “let us follow him.” 
And exactly at noon they set off north-northeast. About the 
middle of the afternoon, ‘asejr, they found a piece of the skin 
of the first sheep, which by a mark on its head the owner 
recognized as belonging to his flock. Before sunset they found 
the skin of a second and then of a third sheep with the same 
mark. All three sheep had been torn to pieces by wolves. Greatly 
fatigued with their long ride, they lay down to sleep. Continu- 
ing their search next morning, they found one dead sheep after 
another until they reached the pasturing ground of the Rfede 
kin, where they learned that, a few days before, one of their 
members named Hsejni had found seventy-five sheep wander- 
ing aimlessly in the vicinity. This was exactly the half of the 
lost flock, the other half having perished in the meantime. 


SUPERNATURAL POWERS OF SLEJB WOMEN 


The Rwala also believe that many women of the Slejb 
tribe can exercise a good or bad influence. They are said to 
be able not only to awaken love, but also to smother it} to 
strengthen and also to destroy the faculty of begetting; to in- 
crease as well as to hinder the growth of children; to lengthen 
and shorten life, ete. No one knows if they have direct con- 
nections with evil spirits, but the people are inclined to believe 
so. Such women are called witches, sahhdra, although none 
of them may be directly so called. Should that be proved of 
any Slubijje, the Rwala would certainly kill her. 


SUPERNATURAL GIFTS AQT 


About four years before my stay with the Rwala, a young 
Rwala chief fell in love with a beautiful young girl. The chief 
was already married and father of two boys, whom his healthy 
young wife had borne to him. Driven by jealousy, she went to 
a witch, sahhdra, complained of her husband, and begged the 
witch to prevent his taking a second wife but not to harm 
him. The witch asked her to bring a piece of the wool of a 
sheep killed on the day of her husband’s new wedding and dip it 
into the blood of the sheep. At that time the Rwala were 
camping east of Damascus, where they could buy a sheep for 
their supper. The young wife promised to do as she was asked. 
When the sheep was killed before the chief’s tent a little after 
noon, she tore out a bit of wool as if by accident, dipped it 
into the blood, and gave it to the Slubijje. The witch pressed 
the wool with both her hands, mumbled strange words, and 
then returned it to the wife with instructions to take good 
care of it, to press it thoroughly, temdsah, every Friday 
night, and to continue doing so until the new wife was di- 
vorced by her husband. Cheered by this advice, the young 
wife gave a suitable reward to the Slubijje, who was camp- 
ing with some families of her kin on the outskirts of the 
Rwala encampment, and returned to her tent. At the side of 
this a small tent was already being put up, shut in from all 
sides, into which the young chief meant to bring his new 
bride after the wedding ceremony. This took place in the 
evening, the young couple entering the tent immediately after- 
wards. After midnight the chief returned to the big tent. All 
the next week his mien was dark, and the new wife did not 
show herself at all. After two weeks he gave her a severe 
beating and before the month was out divorced her because 
She scoffed at him in public and said that he was incapable 
of having intercourse with a woman; and as matter of fact 
she returned to her parents a virgin. The witch had caused 
the man to become impotent at the very moment when he 
approached the second woman, but reinvigorated him on his 
return to his first wife. 


THE EVIL EYE 


The evil eye is universally feared among the Rwala. Every 
Rwejli knows that there are persons of either sex who can 
cast a spell over him, yet he is never able to say who it was 


408 RWALA BEDOUINS 


that has thus harmed him. A person having’ the evil eye is 
called madri, and the person he bewitches ma‘#in. A man who 
lacks both upper eyeteeth or one who has blue eyes is un- 
doubtedly able to bewitch and is therefore carefully avoided 
by all his acquaintances. If a traveler is seen approaching his 
tent, he hears from all the neighboring tents: “Avoid the be- 
witcher’s tent! Go to the right, to the right! Ld temarr ‘ala 
bejt al-madri jeminak jeminak.” 

A bewitched person feels at once great weakness, his eyes 
become dim, and he is subject to fainting fits. Above the heart 
of a bewitched child a blue spot soon appears, as if caused by 
a hard blow. A bewitched animal gets a tumor on the heart 
the size of a fist, and clotted blood is found under it when killed. 
Fumigation is the usual cure in such cases. If the bewitcher 
is known, two or three threads are torn from the hem of his 
garment and laid on red-hot coals, and the stricken person is 
fumigated with the smoke from them. The head of a bewitched 
animal is held over a dish of red-hot coals and smoldering Sih 
plants in such a way that the smoke must enter its nostrils. 
Frequently the bewitched has much difficulty in urinating. 
To help him, the Bedouins shoot a porcupine, from which 
they extract the gall bladder and, pressing out its contents 
into a little water, jemidstin mrejreh bel-moje, they drip it 
into the nostrils of the sick person. Bewitched people and even 
animals are the most easily bitten by poisonous snakes. 

Whoever is possessed of the evil eye also has the power 
to restore the bewitched to his former health. In the Ras- 
salin clan there lived at the time when these studies were 
made a fellow named Na‘tis eben ‘Ajde to whose evil eye 
much misfortune was attributed. Once he bewitched, zarab, 
a young girl pretty both in face and figure, hsejjene min 
cidddmah w-min wardha. It happened while she was fetching 
water; when she returned to her tent, she began to stagger 
and finally fainted. On recovering she was unable to stand 
on her feet. When asked by her frightened mother the cause 
of her condition, the girl only said: “Naas looked at me 
fixedly; he bewitched me,” and fainted again, ertamat min 
gedid. With much lamentation the mother then reported to 
the father what the daughter had just told her, and he, call- 
ing his sons and relatives to his aid, ran to Na“iis’ tent, 
threatening him with death if he did not take back instantly 
the look which had injured his daughter. Na“tis swore by all 


SUPERNATURAL GIFTS 409 


the powers that he had not bewitched any one on that day, 
but was seized by the enraged brothers of the girl and dragged 
to her bed where she was still lying unconscious. Na‘‘is took 
his spittle, rizeh, in his three fingers, besmeared the girl’s 
throat and neck with it, and then walked round her seven 
times, after which the girl awoke as healthy as before. This 
sudden recovery confirmed all the women there in the belief 
that Na“ts’ eye could bewitch, and they took counsel together 
as to how they could destroy this injurious power of their 
neighbor. Knowing or taking for granted that the eating of 
human excrement was the best remedy in this particular 
case, they appointed a woman whose tent adjoined that of 
Na‘“us to apply it to him. So she watched him till he went 
to fulfill the needs of nature, jetahalla’ bel-hala’, took up some 
of his excrement, negaseh, on a stalk, mixed it with flour, 
from which she then baked a thin loaf of bread, dipped it 
into melted butter, and inviting Na“ts to dinner gave it to 
him to eat. Na“ts, who was a frequent guest in his neigh- 
bor’s tent, ate the bread and butter, praising its taste. From 
that time on no one complained of having been bewitched by 
him. His uncanny faculty had left him forever. 

With some people the power of the evil eye is so strong 
that it can even bring down a bird from the air. Thus a troop 
of the Rwala were once riding through the desert. In one 
place they scared two birds called habdri, which flew up, then 
alighted, and rising again flew some distance in the direction 
followed by the riders. Finally Sabr 41 Murabbat exclaimed: 
“Faith, we shall roast one of the birds; wa’ haléla 74 hada 
hal-habdari nastwiha.” At the same moment one bird fell down 
to the ground as if struck by a bullet. 

For protection against the evil eye small sea shells with 
red, white, and green spots, called harazt an-nafs, are recom- 
mended, also two marbles, nekzén. Both the shells and marbles 
can be bought from wandering merchants. If there are none 
in the neighborhood, the Bedouin selects seven pebbles, samh 
heswat, pares off a splinter from the left (north) side pole 
of the tent, takes a grain of salt, towr melh, and a small 
piece of alum, and sews all in a piece of new black cloth, 
hebbe. Still more effective is a fragment of a turtle shell, 
‘azm al-lega’, fastened to a peg made of almond wood. Of the 
nekzén balls or marbles there must be always two, a black 
and a white one. The latter gives protection in the daytime, 


410 RWALA BEDOUINS 


the former at night. Both are wrapped in pieces of soft skin, 
sihtjane. Any of these preventives are tied to the head cord, 
to the kerchief lappet, or to the belt. Little children carry 
them fastened to their hair on the forehead, to their caps, 
or hang them from their necks. The mares, which also must 
be protected against the evil eye, have them twisted into their 
forelocks or manes, or hung about their necks, while the camels 
wear the charms in the tuft of hair growing on their humps. 


CHAP Ti RXV 
SPIRITS AND VOWS 


The Rwala believe that besides this visible world there is 
also an invisible, or spiritual, world. The spiritual world is 
again divided into a celestial and an earthly world. The in- 
habitants of the celestial world are called malak (pl., malajika), 
those of the spiritual earthly world gdnn (pl., ginn). Both the 
celestial and earthly spirits were created by Allah. They possess 
bodies similar to human bodies but invisible; they can pass 
through any wall and can cover in a short while a distance 
which even a good rider would travel in barely a month. The 
spirits hear, speak, eat, drink, and ride like any Bedouin but 
feel no pain, are never sick, and cannot die. 

The celestial spirits do not leave heaven except when sent 
by Allah to men. A malak announcing Allah’s will to the Bed- 
ouin is called mundbi, spokesman. He does so only during a 
dream, whether natural or artificial, the latter occurring when 
a waking person falls into ecstasy, islém, under the influence 
of music or dancing. 


THE GINN 


To the earthly spirits, Ginn, hardfil, or geniin, heaven is 
not accessible. They are of both sexes and have big eyes ex- 
tending to the corners of their mouths. The food they prefer 
is raw meat, nej, and fresh blood is their favorite drink. The 
raw meat they get from fallen animals, the blood is left for 
them by the Bedouins every time an animal is killed. The ginn 
are divided into tribes, clans, and families like the Bedouins, 
but in reality are settlers, hazar. They live in high mountains, 
inaccessible ravines, and old ruins. They never have tents. 
Their dens are situated underground in rock crevices, caverns, 
and vaults of deserted buildings. The farther such a ravine 
or ruin is from the water, the better it is liked by the spirits, 
who know that they will not be disturbed there. They occupy 
themselves in raising goats and sheep, which their herdsmen 
pasture in regions so rocky and stony that the goats and sheep 

411 


A412 RWALA BEDOUINS 


belonging to human beings would die of hunger there. Camels 
and horses are not raised by them. 

Woe to the Bedouin who falls asleep in a region inhabited 
by the spirits! For if a gannijje observes him, she crawls into 
his body either through his nostrils, forefinger, or big toe, 
and, as soon as she gets hold of him, she makes him jump 
up and run into the desert, whence he can be brought back 
to his tent only by force. A man so possessed is known as 
mahsus or muharfal. To cure him, a seer, ra‘ as-sirr, is called 
in, who, after working himself into an ecstasy, commands the 
female spirit to come out: “Crawl out, crawl out! etla% etla%,” 
her answer being: “I will not, I will not crawl out, md-tla‘.” 
Then the sorcerer orders his disciples to play louder and faster, 
he himself circling and dancing round the possessed with in- 
creasing vigor, finally lies down upon him and again shouts: 
“Crawl out and away with thee to the place whence thou 
camest! etla%’ ma° makdneé min alli giti minneh.” It takes 
some time for a female spirit to be driven out, because a wo- 
man is headstrong and will not obey. 

A Kmasi spent a night in some ruins west of the al-‘Azib 
valley and perceived a gdnnijje there, who instantly entered 
his body. He then ran into the neighboring hills and would 
not return home when found by his relatives, but threw him- 
self on the ground, struck out at them, and frothed at the 
mouth. This showed him to be possessed, mahsds. A sorcerer 
was sent for. He played over him, la‘ab, for several days, but 
the gdnnijje tormented him still more. Then they began to 
beat him so that blood began to trickle from almost every 
limb of his body. The beating of a man possessed is permitted, 
for the blows are not meant for him but for the female spirit, 
and it is she who feels the pain, not the man. It is observed — 
that the gdnnijje shakes her victim less violently after the 
beating, and they then beat him only at intervals. On the 
twenty-fourth day the gdnnijje finally left the bruised body 
for good, the prolonged beating having proved too much for 
her. The man, of course, recovered immediately afterwards. 

The Bedouin does not like to sleep long, aS many dangers 
lurk about him during sleep, not only from men but also from 
the earthly spirits, and, moreover, sleep reminds him of death. 
A Bedouin saying is: “He that sleeps one third of the night 
has done as well as he that sleeps all night, and he that sleeps 
the whole night will wake up an idiot; min ndm tilt al-lejl 


SPIRITS AND VOWS 413 


namha killaha w-min nam kill al-lejl haddk habil.” Sleep dur- 
ing the hot midday, kajjalna, or at sunrise, saffarna, is 
preferred to the night sleep. This is also the time when the 
animals are allowed to rest. 

Women and girls are in constant danger from the male 
spirits. If a girl, especially a pretty one, falls asleep in a 
locality inhabited by the spirits, she is approached by a male 
spirit, who has sexual intercourse with her yet without violat- 
ing her virginity. Should he succeed in that only once, the 
girl cannot resist him ever afterwards. He compels her to 
leave her tent at night and to come to a place selected by 
him. Such a woman or girl must not marry; should she do 
so voluntarily the spirit would torment her still more, and if 
she is compelled to marry the spirit would attack her husband. 

Me‘zel eben ‘Ekla’ of the Mwahib married a pretty widow, 
a relative of his, who was dominated by a gdnn and was 
therefore unwilling. When on the wedding night he approached 
her, the gdnn seized him by the throat, throttled him, and 
then threw him out of the tent, threatening him with death 
should he dare to approach her again. Such a husband expelled 
by a spirit is called menhi. But a spirit can never beget 
children by a woman, as spirits never have any children at all. 

The wells of the watering place of Line are very deep, 
hewn in the rock spirally, and have smooth walls. According 
to a Bedouin tale, a chief’s pretty daughter was often molested 
at night by a gann. When she complained to her father he 
lay in wait for the spirit and finally caught him on the night 
of as-sarra, or of the dark of the moon. The chief tied the 
gann both hands and feet, seated him on the rocky plain of 
Line, and commanded him to keep on circling around until 
his posteriors should dig a well with spring water in the rock. 
The gann began to do as he was bidden, his back grinding 
out the rock and his head pressing up the sand, which was 
changed by his sweat into a thin dough. Yet no sooner had 
he deepened one well that the chief made him dig a second, 
a third, and so on, urging him on with the words: “Soften 
the rock, soften the rock, and change it into dough! lini lineh 
w-erdih ‘agine.” 

Not long ago some travelers, rab‘ at-trus, rode by the 
impassable crags of al-‘“Afajef in the deep depression of al- 
Ka‘ara. Below a hillside there a hedgehog, kunfud, of extraor- 
dinary size was warming himself in the rays of the sun. 


414 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Dismounting, one of the travelers caught the animal and put 
it into his empty saddle bag, intending to kill and roast it at 
their next halting place, as the hedgehog’s flesh is regarded 
as having a very savory taste. But before long they heard a 
female voice crying: “O Manstir, O Mansir, where art thou?” 
Turning around they saw an elderly woman running after 
them, repeating the call. Finally the hedgehog’s voice was heard 
out of the bag: “Mansar lies curled up in a small bag, al- 
manstr bwast al-hurg masritr.” This frightened the riders so 
much that the man with the bag threw the hedgehog on the 
ground, and the animal, instantly changing into a man, ran 
towards the woman. 

One Giran walad Dhejjel found near al-‘Afajef a solitary 
Sheep. Thinking that it had gone astray from some flock in 
the neighborhood, he tried to catch and bring it to its owner. 
A lost animal of this kind is called hwér, and its finder receives 
a reward for returning it. But our sheep was not a hwar at 
all but a sheep from a gdnn flock, for it ran into a steep crag 
where there was not the smallest opening and disappeared in 
a second. 

Old ruins also are favorite hiding places of the ginn. There 
they either live in the shape of long snakes or else they enter 
snakes’ bodies, maskin, and dwell there permanently. There- 
fore whoever kills a snake among old ruins-makes the spirits 
his enemies. But should he roast and eat such a snake, he would 
bring the spirit into his own body and become possessed. On the 
other hand, in the wide, level desert where the spirits never live, 
any long snake can be killed and eaten with impunity. 

In the great church in the ruins of ar-Resafa there lives — 
according to the Rwala—a long, black snake, dabb, with the 
head of a goat and a white spot on its forehead. The oldest Bed- 
ouins say that it is very old and relate that the same serpent 
had been known to their forefathers. It fears nobody, prob- 
ably knowing with what fear it is regarded by the Bedouin 
population of the whole neighborhood. | 

Near the well of Wakga, south of the oasis of Tejma, a 
treasure is said to be guarded by a gann in the shape of a 
dabb snake. 

In the castle of al-Hafagi, formerly owned by the Al Ahej- 
zer or Eben Ahejzer kin, the Rwala claim once to have seen 
a long snake or dragon with a human head, bird’s feet, and 
lion’s back, which did not stir even when they came close to 


SPIRITS AND VOWS 415 


it. This calmness so terrified the curious Bedouins that they 
instantly took to their heels. 

In the Se%b of al-Ca‘¢i which opens into the valley of al- 
Clabat stands a large boulder facing eastwards and entirely 
covered with curious marks. This boulder is a place of pil- 
grimage for the ginn, who gather there in the end of May 
to kill their sacrificial animals. They were seen performing 
these rites by the Skar clan subject to the chief Eben Haddal. 

At as- -Subejée there are a few large black boulders said 
to be inhabited by ginn. Close to them yawns the opening of 
an ancient well from which they water their herds. 

In the neighborhood of Gawa and Genn4wa lie many boul- 
ders shaped like cows. A long time ago the ginn kept a herd 
of cows there, which pastured on grass grown on firm soil 
as well as on the rimt and raza’ thriving only in sand. Allah, 
however, forbade them to raise cows and transformed the 
cows into boulders. Gdwa w-genndwa behen hagardt lown al- 
bakardt bén ad-dimt w-ar-rimt w-al-raza’. 

Near the ridge of Laha the ginn have an underground 
village; also near Bajer and al-Mwejsen. 

In the wide level desert delightful music may often be 
heard and pretty girls seen coaxing the traveler to join them. 
But woe to him who succumbs! The girls will tickle him to 
death, suck out his blood, and devour his flesh. As my com- 
panion, Blejhan, related: “Once I went with three of my 
comrades on a marauding trip, our goal being the pastures 
of the Sirhan tribe at the southern foot of the Hawran. When 
already near our destination we were surprised in a deep gully 
by a strong troop of our enemies of the Shir tribe and were 
scattered in several directions. I luckily got out of the volcanic 
rocks into the level Hamad desert, where I rested at night, 
squatting by my camel and filling my short pipe, sebil. Some 
days before, it had broken in the middle and I had repaired 
it by replacing the stem with a piece of bone and tying it to 
the bow] with a strip of leather. A pipe thus mended is called 
buz or bazbizt as-sebil. Having filled it with tobacco, I wrapped 
my head and the pipe in my cloak, so that the sparks flying 
from it and the smoke could not be seen from a distance; 
taramatt bel-‘aba? ‘an bazbizt as-sebil lad tensdf. Suddenly I 
heard a sound as if somebody were running in front of me. 
Raising the cloak a little, I looked round but saw nothing and 
thought it might have been a wild beast, a wolf perhaps. Some 


416 RWALA BEDOUINS 


time after this, ‘“okob miswar, I heard singing and the beating 
of a drum. This time I looked up with more attention — and 
there, right before me, shadows of dancing girls were flitting. 
And yet there was no camp near. The girls went within a stone’s 
throw of me, beckoned to me, smiled, and tried in various ways 
to draw me towards them. But I pressed my face close to the 
ground and hugged it as tight as I could with my whole body 
so as to see and hear nothing. Then I fell asleep.” 

A Rwejli was riding at night through the al-Hadita ruins 
in the Sirhan depression. Suddenly he heard the voices of 
women rejoicing, zardrit, and calling: “Welcome to thee! wel- 
come to thee! 7a hala bak 74 hala.” A little while afterwards 
he was surrounded by pretty girls who asked him to dance 
with them, but when our Rwejli pronounced, samma, the word 
Allah, the girls suddenly vanished. 

At another time a small troop of migrating Rwala arrived 
late in the evening at al-Hadita. As there was good pasture 
in the neighborhood they pitched their tents and, being very 
fatigued by their long march, lay down to sleep, from which 
they did not awake till the sun was up. But their surprise 
may be imagined when on rising they found their tents struck, 
rolled together, and ready to be loaded on the camels. They 
loaded them with all the speed possible and at once rode from 
a place evidently inhabited by malevolent ginn. 

In every tree and bush of the sidr and ‘awseg variety 
there lives a spirit, and for this reason the wood of these 
thorny trees and bushes must not be used for fuel. Where 
the sidr trees grow in a cluster, the ginn have their gardens, 
as for instance at al-Obejjez, Sejdaran, and al--Amez. 

Some of the earthly spirits are given to harming men and 
take on various shapes for that purpose. They have various 
names. Of these most dreaded by the Bedouins is a female 
spirit called sar‘at as-sibe. In appearance she is a tall thin 
woman wearing a dress made of leather. This spirit wanders 
about the desert from camp to camp, looking for children. If 
she hears a child crying, she crawls near, gropes about for 
it with her hands till she finds it, then catches it, and runs 
with it to her own kin. There the child is torn partly open, 
its blood sucked by all the spirits present, and its flesh de- 
voured raw. Therefore mothers try to frighten their crying 
child with the warning: “Keep quiet or as-sar‘a will come for 
thee!’ To protect a child from the spirits the Rwala women 


SPIRITS AND VOWS A417 


hang the cradle, riigdha, which is made of a quilted cover and 
has a rope tied to its four corners, high up to the tent poles. 
If, then, as-sar‘a comes into the tent, she looks for the child 
on the beds made on the floor and takes no notice of the 
cradle hanging from above. 

Another evil spirit appears in the shape of a big erey- 
hound bitch, seleka, with an enormous jaw and a breastbone, 
zowr, reaching to the ground. This spirit, known as sa‘aluwwa, 
is the only spirit which appears in the wide level desert and 
lives in dens such as are used by the hyenas. A traveler, 
turki, a member of the Mseke kin which belongs to the ‘Ebede 
division, once met what he thought to be a seleka in the desert. 
He made it come to him, believing that it might lead him to 
the camp it had left. But instead of being a seleka, it proved 
to be a sa‘aluwwa who jumped at him, tore flesh from his 
breast and face, sucked his blood, and did not leave him till 
he was half dead. When finally found by other travelers, all 
he could do was to tell what had happened to him before 
departing this life, réh. 

A kurta or kardiz is a spirit who destroys newly born 
boys but does his work unobserved. If a Rwejli is married 
to a woman who has borne him several boys all of whom 
have died after a short time, and if the same thing happens 
also with the second wife, then he knows for certain that it 
is a kurta who has done him this wrong. To appease the 
spirit he procures a cock with green feathers on its neck and 
waits until his wife comes to childbed again. When her time 
is near, with the live cock he draws in his tent seven circles, 
one within the other, kills the cock in the seventh in the 
center, buries it there, and lays his wife over that spot. She 
will then bear without any pain, and her son will not die, 
because the kurta has been given what belonged to it, hakk 
al-kadrucz. 


REVERENCE FOR GRAVES RARE AMONG BEDOUINS 


The Bedouins know of no communion with the saints. In 
the whole inner desert there is not a single holy grave or 
shrine erected in honor of a saint. In fact they have no saints 
whatever. When they make their short sojourns in the settled 
territory, where by every village the dome of a shrine rises 
above the real or imaginary grave of some man or woman 


418 RWALA BEDOUINS 


whom public opinion considers to be a saint, they never pay 
attention to these domes. In their opinion the latter comme- 
morate the saints of the settlers and breeders of goats and 
sheep, ri° or Swdja, not of the Bedouins. They say: “‘They are 
not of our kin, ahl, not of us, gemd‘atna, therefore we do not 
honor them or go on pilgrimage to them, henna alli ma hw 
minna ma nezureh.” 

Worship of the saints has never been known among the 
Rwala and presumably never will be. The hereafter does not 
trouble the Bedouins much, and their idea of it is only hazy; 
nor have they any permanent burying places, megenne, but 
bury their dead wherever death overtakes them. They there- 
fore do not know and never visit individual graves. This is 
often due to the great distance between their pastures; to some 
of their camping grounds they return only after many years 
— so why should they care for a grave? They do not know 
even where the graves of their older princes or head chiefs 
are. I have heard from many Rwala, even from members of 
the reigning kin, that Najef eben Sa‘lan, one of their ancestors, 
lies buried between the rain pools of Hag&m and al-Bark in 
al-Hamad and that a camel is sacrificed by his descendants 
whenever they come there, as they do once in many years. 
Yet while we camped in that place in 1914 and took our drink- 
ing water from both the pools, not a single member of the 
reigning house thought for a moment of sacrificing the camel 
on Najef’s grave. Hazza‘, Prince an-Niri’s father, died at al- 
Gubejlijje in the Hawran one was buried there, but his grave 
has never been visited by an-Nari, although he often marches 
past the place. 

Slejman eben MerSed, one of the ancestors of the reigning 
family of the Sba‘a tribe, died and was buried at Dejr az- 
Zor on the right bank of the Euphrates. The merchants of 
that town, with whom he was always on friendly terms, had 
a small dome erected over his grave. It is said that whenever | 
the members of his kin come there they sacrifice a camel by 
the dome, saying: “We think of thee, Slejman; Oh, mayst thou 
have pity on us and our parents!” after which they besmear 
the tombstone with the blood of the sacrificed animal, jehat- 
tettin nasibeh. But Blejhan, a subject of Eben MerSed, stated 
that the camels are killed there by merchants from Dejr az- 
Zor and not by any Bedouins. Btejjen eben Midbar eben Mer- 
Sed was buried at the mouth of the valley of al- Arkat. His 


SPIRITS AND VOWS 419 


grave is marked with a few tall, flat stones placed upright, 
nasajeb. 

All the raiders and robbers of the northern ‘Aneze honor 
the grave of Turki eben Mhejd, head chief of the Fed‘an tribe. 
Turki undertook countless raids and returned from them all 
unhurt and with much booty. Once in the al-kéz season (mid- 
summer) he rode against the Sammar, the subjects of Eben 
Rasid, who were camping on the southeast border of the Nefiid. 
The water supply of the raiders being exhausted, they wished 
to fill their bags and also to water their camels from the al- 
Hazra’ wells. Their scouts, ‘wjvin, however, sent out in advance 
to examine the country and to find the best and safest water- 
ing places and pastures, came back with the news that the 
neighborhood of al-Hazra was full of Sammar camps in such 
numbers that Turki’s troop would be unable to cope with them. 
Turki wished, then, to circumvent al-Hazra and attack one 
of the smaller camps south of it, but the thirst tormenting 
both the men and animals was already becoming insufferable. 
It was in vain that Turki asked his comrades to be patient, 
in vain that he promised that they would find water very 
soon; the tortures of thirst increased with every mention of 
water, and they all well knew that there was no well any- 
where near. When the distress was at its height Turki prayed 
to Allah to send them rain. His wish was granted. Allah sent 
from the northwest a dark cloud which he caused to halt above 
their heads and pour forth all its water. The rain that now 
fell on Turki and his troop was so abundant that they could 
fill their water bags from several rain pools, quench their 
thirst, and water their camels. Thus strengthened in their 
belief that Allah was on their side, they fell upon the Sammar 
herds and returned home with rich booty. From that time 
Turki was called The Little Son of his Lord, wlejd rabbeh, 
because Allah, moved by the supplication of such a little son, 
had brought the rain cloud to their rescue in the season of 
al-kéz, during which it never rains in the desert. 

In the time of abundance, rabi‘, of 1887 Turki had his 
camp at the junction of the se%b of al-Heri with the as-Swab 
valley. There he was attacked by the Rwala, defeated, killed, 
and buried beside his tent. The Fed‘an raised a tall stone above . 
his grave and carved it with the emblems of all their clans 
and kins. All raiders, when passing by, stop at the grave and 
form a circle round it, whereupon the commander speaks as 


420 RWALA BEDOUINS 


follows: “O thou who hast protected our herds called ‘Alja! 
By the success which Allah and thou grant! If Allah will lead 
us to glory and liberate us, thou wilt receive a fat she-camel. 
Ja rai-l-alja bsaid alléh wa-s‘idak en alléh nowmasna w- 
fakkna lak geztiren.” On their return with booty they make 
a fat camel kneel down, cut her throat so that the blood 
sprinkles the tombstone, and shout: “This is thy supper, O pro- 
tector of the ‘Alja herds!” 

My companion, Blejhan, related: “I rode out for plunder 
with only one comrade. Not far from Turki’s grave we made 
our camels kneel and went to the grave. Laying our right 
hands on the tombstone, nasiba, we said: ‘O thou protector 
of the ‘Alja! If we return with booty, thou wilt receive a fat 
Sshe-camel.’ Soon afterwards we noticed a caravan, Zdfla, on 
the road Darb as-Sa‘i which leads from Damascus to Hit and 
Bagdad. Crawling near to it at night we captured six she- 
camels, one of which we sacrificed to Turki. The entrails we 
ate at the grave, the flesh and the hide we carried home. 
Our camp was then in the upper part of the al-Mijah valley. 

“Not long after this a certain Mzahlak of the Weld Sliman 
[stc] rode in command of a raiding troop past Turki’s grave. 
Stopping his camel, he exlaimed: ‘O thou protector of the 
‘Alja! If by thy help we return with booty, thou wilt receive 
a fat camel; 74 ré%i-l-‘alja en afadna bsatidak lak gezuren,’ 
They captured a large herd, killed a camel on his grave, roasted 
and ate its flesh, and brought the hide home.” 

Whenever the Fed‘dn encamp near Turki’s grave they 
kill a camel in his honor but not until they wish to move 
to the settled territory, elja rarrabow. To the feast not only 
the Fed‘an but also the Sbha‘a and ‘Amérat are invited, be- 
cause Turki was related by blood to all the tribes acknowledg- 
ing Bisr as their common ancestor, zana bisr. 


VOWS 


All Rwala believe that they can win Allah’s favor by a 
vow. Not that Allah would desire or need the promised object, 
but it rejoices him to see that the Bedouins remember in time 
that without his help they cannot attain what they desire, 
and also that they show willingness to give up something of 
value in order to assure themselves of his help. Such vows 
are made by all, men as well as women, old as well as young, 


SPIRITS AND VOWS A21 


in regard to their various needs and in all:sorts of ways. When 
in fear, Sahna, for a person dear to them or when anxious, 
minsahenin, for a relative captured by the enemy and threat- 
ened with death, sahhanih, they turn to Allah. Should a man 
not return from a raid at the expected time, vows are made 
by his father, mother, brother, or sister: “If Allah returns the 
distant one to us, behold! I will give to Allah’s face one old 
camel and that without delay; en gab alléh hal-rdjeb tara 
lwagh allah fateren ma beha mhala’.” If an avenger refuses 
the blood price, insisting on killing the guilty person, he vows: 
“OQ Allah! as soon as I have avenged my brother, thou wilt 
receive an old camel and a sheep; 7d-llah en édn tetdrajt lahtj 
ennaha fater w-menharha na‘ge.” Or: “Be my wife forbidden 
to me until I have avenged my brother.’ Vows to the effect 
that they either will sacrifice a she-camel to Allah or that 
they will fast and give the food thus saved to the poor are 
also made by his relatives for the benefit of one seriously 
ill. However, a vow is not sufficient to bring children to mar- 
ried couples or to cause boys to be born instead of girls. 
Every vow must be uttered aloud and in the presence of 
witnesses, so that they may remind the man should he ever 
forget it and thus save him from Allah’s anger. Yet even 
one who has vowed something to Allah in his heart while 
riding alone through the desert is bound to fulfill the pledge, 
because Allah can read hearts and will not be deceived. ‘““Who 
compels a man to make a vow? If he made a vow, he did 
so voluntarily and must fulfill it to the best of his ability.” 
If a father vows an animal which does not belong to him 
but to his son, the latter can defend it against his father. 
On the other hand, the son cannot do the same in the case 
of his mother, because, according to Allah’s will, nobody cares 
as much for the son as his mother, mdjene ‘ala waladha. The 
vow made by a daughter or sister must be fulfilled by the 
father or brother, who is responsible for her, as Allah would 
not be angry with the women but with the men. A married 
woman is not allowed to vow an animal to Allah without her 
husband’s permission. Yet should she do so, either her kin 
are obliged to replace it or she must pay its price. Nor can 
a woman kill the promised animal herself; this is always done 
by some man in her place, who lays it on the ground with its 
head towards the south, saying: “This belongs to the face of 
Allah.” Then the one for whose benefit the vow was made, 


A22 RWALA BEDOUINS 


al. manduren ‘alejh, dips his forefinger, kdlteh, in the blood 
and touches with it the point of his nose, both of his cheeks, 
and his forehead between the eyebrows. These four blood 
marks, ntiir ad-damm, must not be washed off. 

Srajjer eben ‘Emran of the Mwa&hib clan of the Sba‘a 
tribe once commanded a troop of raiders marching against 
Eben RaSid, who was also out on a raid against the Sba‘a 
at the same time. The troops met; Eben Ra&Sid, being the 
stronger, soon pressed, wdfek, Srajjer’s troop so hard that it 
scattered in all directions. Those who were overtaken were 
killed, those who escaped perished from thirst. Only a small 
part of the troop returned home. Srajjer’s mother inquired of 
those who came back, alli tabbow, about her son, but in vain, 
as every man had had to look out for himself. Then she made 
the following vow, nadarat leha nedr: “Allah, if my little son 
returns, I will give thee a fat camel.” After a few days a 
certain Slubi arrived with Srajj As on his camel, and the mother 
did as she had vowed. 

The husband of Hulfa, a daughter of Hlejf 4l Hdéres of 
the Sba‘a, having borrowed some money from his relatives and 
acquaintances, left the neighborhood of Tudmor (Palmyra), 
where he was camping, for the inner desert, Sarrak, in order 
to buy camels from the Sammar subject to Eben RaSsid. He 
intended to sell them to the contractor who was repairing 
the highroad from Homs to Damascus. Yet Allah decided 
otherwise. While he was resting at night with his comrades, 
they were set upon by raiders, bajjatowhom. Robbed of every- 
thing, dispersed with derisive laughter in all directions, they 
were unable to meet again. In the evening one of the party 
happened to meet a Slubi who took him home, where he re- — 
lated what had happened. Thereupon Hulfa began to weep, 
and repeated her vow made on the day when her husband 
started for the inner desert, jowm alli hw Sarrak min ‘en- 
daha: “If, O Allah! thou returnest my husband safe to me, 
I will give thee a fat camel.” After three months her husband 
returned. Then she told him: “Behold, for thy sake I vowed 
a fat camel and wish thee to kill it, tardni nadart ‘alejk nedr 
geztren w-abejk tedbahaha.” But he objected: “I have no fat 
camel, nor anything to buy one with.” Loving him greatly, 
Hulfa feared lest Allah might punish him for not fulfilling her 
vow, and therefore she went to her kin, lahalha, and begged 
from her brother a camel, which an acquaintance killed before 


SPIRITS AND VOWS 423 


her husband’s tent, she herself marking the latter’s face with 
the animal’s blood. 

Ratjan walad ‘Awwaz, a member of the Eben Mehir kin 
of the Sba‘a tribe, lost his brother. He had been killed by a 
Bedouin, who offered to pay the blood price. But Ratjan re- 
fused this, desiring to avenge blood with blood, and vowed 
to Allah a camel if he would help him exact vengeance. When 
the guilty man sought refuge, ‘annaz hdleh, in another ter- 
ritory, Ratjan was unable to find him for some time. He had 
given up hope of seeing him again, when suddenly while on 
a raid he met a strange troop, among which was his fugitive, 
riding a mare. Dismounting, he seized his revolver, ridnijje, 
and with two shots killed both the guilty man and his mare. 
On returning home he sacrificed a camel. 

A brother of Eben Fazil of the ‘Ebede division of the 
Sba‘a tribe was killed by a member of a powerful kin, who 
at once took the part of the slayer. The latter was so uni- 
versally known and esteemed for his generosity and readiness 
to serve, that everybody in the clan helped to save both him 
and his kin from the avengers. They conducted him to a place 
of refuge, ‘annazow al-kdtel, returned to the camp, and tried 
to persuade Eben Fazil to be satisfied with the blood price. 
They continued to press him more and more, until he replied: 
“You are mistaken. It is not the slayer, but myself whom you 
should have brought to a place of refuge, for I am threat- 
ened with danger, not he. The blood price you can keep. 
I swear by Allah that I will not touch my wife until my 
brother is avenged.” Afterwards he removed with his whole 
kin to Eben Hdejb, told him why he had left his clan, and 
made him the guardian of his family, should he not return. 
Then he went at once in search of his brother’s slayer. Three 
months later he found and attacked him, but he was himself 
seriously wounded and only escaped with his life through 
the assistance of some Bedouins. With them he lay nearly 
two months before he recovered sufficiently to be taken on 
a camel to Eben Hdejb. But, as the use of his right hand 
was gone, he was unable to avenge his brother. Yet there 
still remained a twelve-year-old son of the brother, who, on 
hearing of what had happened to his uncle, instantly declared: 
“Uncle, I myself will go after my father’s blood.” It was in 
vain that they tried to hold him back. Mounting a camel, he 
rode to the Arabs among whom the slayer was hiding, stopped 


A424 RWALA BEDOUINS 


his animal before the chief’s tent, and, entering, sat down 
among the guests and visitors. They conversed on all possible 
topics, an-nds tesowlef min ‘arz al-haci, as is usually the case, 
the boy listening eagerly. Suddenly he heard one of the visitors 
say: “Our blood-stained one, dammawi, mentioned that he had 
found at such and such a place a hole filled with rain water; 
but look, he has just come back with his water bag full.” 
Great was the joy of the young avenger on finding the culprit 
so soon, and he took good notice of the tent into which the 
guilty man carried the water. Crawling in at night, he found 
him sunk in deep slumber. Shaking him with all the force at 
his command the boy said: | 

“Art thou asleep or awake? ent ndjem walla’ Zd‘ed.” 

“T am awake, ana Zé‘ed.” 

“How canst thou sleep with my father in thy belly? éejf 
tnam w-abuj bebatnak.” 

“Not thy father alone but thou too wilt be in my belly,” 
replied the culprit, jumping up and grasping his weapon. But 
at the same moment the boy fired a shot at him from his 
revolver, tawwar beh ar-ridnijje Samdm, killing him instantly. 

On his return he simply said: “Uncle, I have avenged my 
father; 74 ‘ammi ahadt tar abtj.” But the uncle was not to be 
comforted, thinking that he had not fulfilled his vow. “I vowed 
not to sleep with my wife before bringing back the blood of 
my brother. Thou hast now brought it. What am I to do?” 
Then the more experienced men advised him to dismiss his 
present wife and to marry anew. This he did. 

In 1898, when cholera was ravaging the country, the Bed- 
ouins fled to the desert to escape the contagion, wahmen 
cebir, which threatened them. Ever since they have called 
that year sanat abu faksa, cholera year. At that time Blejhan 
eben Mesreb became seriously ill, and his relatives were con- 
vinced that he could not recover, md beh rabeh. When his 
brother, who was pasturing camels at some place far from 
the water, heard the news, he left his herd and hastened 
home, rawwah min al-‘azib. The sight of Blejhan filled him 
with terror, for he looked more wretched than any one would 
have wished to see even his worst enemy appear, w-alléh a3- 
Sowfat al-kasra tamannéha l‘aduwwak. Weeping bitterly, the 
brother lifted his eyes to heaven and exclaimed: 

“QO God, a camel I vow to thee at once, if my brother 
shall again walk full of health and vigor, ‘adiden w-Sediden.” 


SPIRITS AND VOWS A25 


Then he went back to his herd. When he came five days later 
with his camels to the watering place, the Arabs there said: 

“Hear the glad tidings! Thy brother is getting better, 
no danger threatens him any more, ld beh hldf.’ So, after 
watering his camels, he made all haste to visit Blejhan and 
embraced him with the words: 

“May thine illness depart for the inner desert, Sarrak.”’ 
Blejhan answered: 

“May it never reach thee!” After a short talk, the brother 
led in a young white camel, ka‘viden awzah, exchanged it for 
an old camel, fdter, fettered her left foreleg, ‘akkalha, outside 
the tent, and sacrificed her with the words: 

“God, this is the camel I vowed for my brother; my vow 
is fulfilled.” At that moment four men seized Blejhan, placed 
him in the streaming blood, and also dropped some of it on 
the end of his nose, on both cheeks, and between his eyebrows. 
He recovered completely. 

Both the father and brother of Hamsijja, an unmarried 
daughter of one Fare’ of the Sba‘a tribe, were murdered. 
The brother left two boys, whose mother married again. Ham- 
sijja took charge of the boys, became their foster mother, 
wdliyjathom, and made the following vow: “O God, as soon 
as these two boys are able to care for themselves and make 
their first raid, behold! I vow to thee a fadter camel, and I also 
vow that I will fast for three days in seven times seven 
weeks.” When the boys grew up and returned from their first 
raid in good health, Hamsijja had a camel sacrificed and 
for a whole lunar year touched food only every other day. 


CHAPTER XVI 
JUDICIAL PROCEDURE 


SETTLEMENT OF MINOR DISPUTES; JUDGES 


Slight disputes and quarrels between members of the same 
tribe are settled by friendly intercession. A respected Bedouin 
comes with one or two companions to the tent of the more 
powerful opponent and ‘says to him: 

“OQ So-and-So, stay! Thou knowest well that we all honor 
thee, and we also know that So-and-So has, in fact, harmed 
thee and that therefore thou hast every reason to be angry 
with him; but if thou lovest me, if thou lovest us, do not 
persecute him any more! ld tegth.” The man thus addressed, 
recognizing that he. will gain more in public esteem if he 
abandons his claims, answers: 

“For the love I bear thee and all of you, but for this 
reason only, I give up all my claims.” 

“We know that thou speakest the truth, but still we beg 
of thee to swear by Allah.” 

“T call Allah to witness that I will persecute him no 
more.” 

“May thy love for us increase and give us power to ap- 
point a guardian who is to see that thou persecutest thy 
opponent no more!”’ 

“I give you full power, ana mheddikom, to appoint any 
guardians you desire.” 

“We shall go to So-and-So.” 

“Go at once! kowtert.” Then they go to a powerful Bed- 
ouin and say: “Behold, X has promised that he will not 
quarrel with Y any more. Behold, we place the latter before 
thy countenance. Have a care that X actually ceases to per- 
secute him.” 

Answering “I guarantee that,” he sends word to the 
stronger opponent: “Beware of persecuting Y any longer. 
For, beware, he has put himself under my protection, tardh 
dahal ‘alejje.” 

More serious differences are settled among the Rwala 
by the hereditary native judge, ‘arefa (pl., ‘awdref). Judicial 

426 


JUDICIAL PROCEDURE A427 


dignity is hereditary in certain kins and passes as a rule 
from father to son. If the latter lacks the necessary intel- 
ligence, bosr, the litigants turn to his uncle, jinhartin ‘ammeh, 
or to some other member of his kin. Furthermore, every 
chief may pass sentence but may not interfere in any way 
with the jurisdiction of the hereditary judges; he must sub- 
mit when the contending parties appeal from his verdict to 
the hereditary judge. When acting as a judge, a chief is 
never called ‘drefa, not being recognized as such. When a 
chief adjudicates disputes he does so because he wields power 
which it is not always possible to resist and because he can 
support his judgment or his will by force. 

Eben Gandal is the greatest judge of the Al Glas group; 
Al Tajjar holds the same position with the Beni Wahab. 

In all matters pertaining to blood vengeance the decision 
lies with the ‘awdref ad-damm, namely: Al Kwééeb in the Al 
Glas group and Eben Smejr, otherwise known as Eben Battah, 
in the Beni Wahab group. 

Other disputes are decided by Eben Gandal, al- Ka‘aka‘, 
and Eben Durmi of the Al Glas group. 

On questions of war and peace Eben Sa‘lan is called upon 
to decide. 

Special rights are to be considered when either the plain- 
tiff or the defendant happens to be a neighbor, al-kasir; a 
guest, azg-zejyf; or a traveling companion, al-hawi. 

In the Kmusa division of the as-Sba‘a tribe the recognized 
judges are the chiefs of the ar-Rhama clan (Barras, Mham- 
mad, Metkal, and ‘Awejnan of the Sa‘id kin) as well as the 
chiefs of the Btejnat clan (‘Aziz and Fallag of the Stéwi kin). 
Among the ‘Ebede division it is the al-Mwajge clan from 
which the judges are selected from the kins: Eben “Allus, Eben 
Gazza‘, Eben Rabit, Al Agda’, and Al Rgél. 


LAWSUITS 


A lawsuit is called sdlfa or tlaba and may be decided 
either by witnesses or by black oaths, as-sdlfa ‘aleyha umma 
Shid walla? dijanen std. An oath is black because it disgraces 
a man, blackens his countenance or his honor, implying that 
his mere word is not believed. Besides, the swearer is always 
in danger of God’s anger, as he can never explain things as 
they really happened. 


428 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Settlement with Witnesses 


Generally two witnesses are required in court, kowd tnén 
Shid. Only a man of good repute, raggdlen mazbit, who is 
no babbler, hacth Zelil, and never contradicts his story, hargeh 
sahih, will be admitted as a witness, Sdhed jired. An eyewit- 
ness, sawwaf al-‘ajn, should be honest, walad al-haldl, must 
not hate him whose case depends on him, must not yearn 
for a reward for his testimony, and must be known for his 
veracity; alli lad rallen safih w-lé tma‘en rdgih w-habib allah 
hacth. Every witness is entitled to compensation for coming 
to testify, hakk al-lisén. As a rule an eyewitness will not ask 
for it; but if he says: “I want the price of my tongue, ana- 
bri hakk lisdni,’”’ then two of his kin have to declare him 
to be a trustworthy witness, marzi as-Sehdde, which means 
that he is not a hired witness. If the dispute is about a 
mare, the eyewitness usually gets its first colt (a filly) or 
a camel; if about a camel, his reward is a gold pound. Before 
a witness’s deposition is taken, efforts are made by one of the 
contending parties to undermine his trustworthiness, while 
the other lauds it to the skies. Both disputants spread their 
garments on the ground before the judge. Each grasps with 
both hands either the long lappet of his shirt sleeve, reden, 
or the hem of his cloak or upper garment, sdje, spreads it on 
the ground in the tent, smoothes it with his right hand, hold- 
ing it tight with the left; then they both raise their right 
hands towards the judge and exclaim: 

“This is my garment for the unchangeable truth, hada 
Selili bes-sahth, O veracious one! ja sudkdn.” 

His opponent calls out: “This is my garment for the un- 
changeable truth, O liar! 74 éudbén.” 

“Leave it spread out, roll it not up as long as the un- 
changeable truth does not appear, ld tekofeh ek‘ed bes-sahth.”’ 
The spreading out of the garment takes the place of spread- 
ing a rug for the witness to sit on. This is also frequently 
seen in other disputes; a Bedouin spreads out his Selil to 
demonstrate that he can bring enough trustworthy witnesses 
to substantiate his words. 

The judge asks the witness: “O witness, wilt thou give 
testimony? tabri teshad.” 

cea Wil lias 


JUDICIAL PROCEDURE 429 


“Come, then, and give testimony, tobb eShad!” The witness 
now sits down before the judge and says: 

“T declare that there is no hatred in me against him 
whose welfare is in question, that. I do not yearn for a re- 
ward from him who has asked me to be his witness, and 
that I will speak the truth only as pleases the Lord, that it 
happened so and so...’’ A witness against whom the giving 
of false testimony has been proved will never again be ad- 
mitted as a trustworthy witness, makmi‘ as-sahdde. 

Should a single eyewitness relate to two men in the de- 
sert what he has seen and heard but afterwards depart to 
other distant tribes so that he cannot be brought before the 
judge, his place may not be taken by those to whom he has 
related the story. 

One who knows a fact only from hearsay cannot give 
valid testimony, for he has seen nothing himself but has only 
heard it from others, and mouths will always chatter. Know- 
ledge of this kind, called féh famm, has no validity even 
when supported by five men. Should a man hear two men 
fighting at night and hear one of them, who is afterwards 
found killed, shout: “Woe to me, So-and-So means to kill 
me,’ he cannot even then be admitted as a witness against 
one whose name he has only heard, for this is a féh famm; 
he himself had not seen and recognized the slayer. A true 
eyewitness never contradicts himself, his statements being 
always the same. The report of a [true] man [about some oc- 
currence] must be like the gait of a pack camel, always the 
same; hatw ar-raggal zey mamsa-l-gemal bes-sahth. 


Settlement by Oaths 


In the absence of trustworthy eyewitnesses the judge 
calls on the party which has entered a denial to swear. As 
in the opinion of the Bedouins every court process defiles and 
every oath disgraces, ad-din ¢etin w-al-jemin mehin, the oath 
is universally avoided, and a man is angry with one who urges 
him to swear. The simplest words of an oath are: 

“T swear by Allah and eight camels laden with grain that 
I did not say..., en w-allah w-taméni gmdl muhammaldten 
ralal ennt md kult...” Thus he calls on Allah to punish him 
and to do him an injury equal to the loss of eight loads of 


430 RWALA BEDOUINS 


grain which he has bought in the settled territory; he would 
then die of hunger in the desert. 

Another oath runs: “I swear by Allah, whose power is 
eminent, whose weights are just, and whose tongue is truth- 
ful, that it is thus and so; w-alléh alli ‘azizen Séneh w-‘adlen 
mizdneh w-talzen lisdneh enni...” 

In serious disputes the judge requires the msabba‘ oath, 
so called from seven lines drawn with a saber on the ground. 
The judge first draws a circle with a saber, then its diameter; 
this he intersects with five vertical lines, inviting the witness 
to step inside and facing south to swear: 

“A false oath is the ruin of the descendants, for he 
who [swears falsely] is insatiable in his desire [of gain] and 
does not fear his Lord; thus and so happened...; ad-din al- 
luwijje kattd‘at ad-derrijje enneh hajef w-lé leh min rabbeh 
hajef.” 

Searcely is the oath finished when the witness jumps 
out of the circle and, full of rage, runs at his opponent, who 
has made him swear. The people present at the trial have 
to surround and hold him till he calms down. 

The third kind of oath, called al-gehira, is used at meet- 
ings where a man must be compelled to speak the truth. Then 
the chief springs suddenly at the man who is to swear, lays 
his right hand on his belly under the belt so as to touch his 
sexual organ, and exclaims: “I adjure thee by thy belt, by 
thy sexual organ, and by that which lies down to sleep before 
thee in the evening to give me a report such as will please 
God; ana-nsidk behzdmak wa-lzdmak w-méd rawwah w-amsa 
Ziddamak innak te‘allemni bhabib allah.” The belt signifies 
the wife, for it is laid aside when the man desires to have 
intercourse with her; the sexual organ means children; and 
that which lies down to sleep before the tent at night sig- 
nifies herds. 

‘Awde al-Kwéébi ran into the tent of Prince Sattam, 
grasped one of the poles of the merkab litter, and shouted: 
“I stand under the protection of this pole, and nothing shall 
part me from it. By Allah’s light and by Allah’s right in 
this camp I put myself under thy protection, O Sattam, with 
all that my conscience conceals but that is clear to thee. I 
put myself under the protection of thy wife, of thy children, 
of thy mare, of thy herd going to the pasture, and of the son 


0 ee a 


JUDICIAL PROCEDURE A431 


employed with them. Ana dahil hal-amiid mé ‘anni sdiid bniir 
allah wa-bhakk allah bhal-menzel w-ana déhel ‘alejk balli ha- 
fijen ‘alejje w-bajjenen ‘alejk w-ana déhel ‘ala hzdmak w-md 
kafak w-zidddmak w-al-haldl as-sdreh w-al-walad al-fdleh.” 
Sattam was sitting by the wall dividing the men’s compart- 
ment from the women’s; behind him — hence behind the 
wall—were his wife and his children; before him—hence in 
front of the tent — stood his mare and his she-camels about 
to start for pasture under the care of a young relative of his. 


Judicial Decisions 


After hearing the witnesses or administering the oath 
the judge issues his decision or verdict, ma‘rdz. If one of the 
parties is not satisfied he says to the judge: 

“Here, take the wages for thy tongue and let me depart 
to another judge; hak hakk lisdnak w-asnedni ‘ala-l-‘érefat 
at-tani.” 

“JT will let thee go to So-and-So.” Both parties now go 
to the judge mentioned and relate what has happened thus 
far. But, whatever the verdict of the second judge may be, 
the party dissatisfied with the first cannot reject it, for then 
the judge would say: 

“Thou art an old liar. Sit still and accept my judgment. 
This dispute is decided irrevocably. Ent cedub eked w-ekbel 
mariz has-salfa mabtira.” An appeal is out of the question, 
but sometimes the judge says to the dissatisfied party: 

“Go wherever thou wilt; find a case like thine and prove 
to me by witnesses how it was decided.” The dissatisfied man 
then mounts his camel and rides from one judge to another 
and from chief to chief inquiring for a case similar to his and 
for the court’s finding in it. If he happens to find such a case, 
waradha, and proves by witnesses that it had been decided 
long before and is therefore an old dispute, sdlfaten mdzje 
or ma‘ruzen mazi, then the judge adapts his verdict to the 
old one. But if the judgment discovered is not at least five 
years old, its validity is not yet recognized — as it is still 
a so-called blind case, has-sdlfa hadi ‘amja°. The opposing 
side at once declares: “This case must not be used against 
me, md tfattah ‘alejje,” and the finding of the second judge 
remains in force. 


432 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Typical Lawsuits 


My companion, Blejhan, related: “My comrade Zaher and 
I went for plunder to the Rwala territory, ‘ajjarna ‘ala-r-rwala. 
We had only one riding camel, which belonged to Zaher. He 
sat in the saddle, I sat behind the saddle, zéher bes-sddd 
w-ana bel-wrtik. One day we saw a rider, a Rwejli, judging 
by his apparel. My comrade said: ‘Look, if we capture that 
riding camel, delil, she shall be thine even if a little bell is 
ringing on her neckband, tara had-delil en sdrat lena tardha 


lak la yidenn birsemha.’ A bell of that kind is hung only on~ 


the neck of young mares. By these words Zaher indicated 
that he would leave the first booty to me alone, even if it 
were a mare; and therefore he would certainly have left the 
camel to me. I answered that I accepted his offer, ana Zdbel. 
Now when the Rwejli met us, I slid off our camel and seized 
his deliéil by the rein, while Zaher leveled his rifle at the 
man threatening him with the words: 

‘Dismount! If thou dost not, by my faith! I will shoot 
thee dead; hawwel en md hawwalt lan adbahak bel-baride’ 

“Having no gun himself the Rwejli obeyed, while I made 
the delul kneel and then mounted it. In this manner she 
became my property, sdrat lije. Then we searched two more 


days and a night for booty but without avail. Finally we © 


started for home again, reaching it on the tenth day early 
in the morning, as-subhijjat gina-halna. On the same day my 
comrade, hawi, came to me and said: 

‘I want thee to give me a half of that camel, because 
we agreed to divide our booty, ana wijjak hiser, 

‘Thou art right, thou art not right; lak lén, mé@ lak lén, 
We quarreled a long time and at last on the advice of our rela- 
tives went to Meshen eben ‘AIliS of the al- Mwajge clan of 
the “Ebede division to seek justice, tawdradna al- hakk ‘endeh. 
We came to that judge each on his own camel, made the 
animals kneel before the tent, and saluted him: 

‘Peace be with thee!’ 

‘Peace to you also!’ After tasting some coffee I, that is 
Blejhan, sat beside the judge, MeShen, and said to him: 

‘O Eben ‘AllGs, I want to ask my right of thee!’ 

‘Relate, disclose, ehteé ehteé,’ 

‘Certainly, I swear to God that I shall disclose it? — and 
I told him how it all happened, adding: ‘I desire, God grant 


JUDICIAL PROCEDURE 433 


it! from thee, from all judges, and from every man who does 
not disregard my right, that this camel, which my com- 
rade declared to be mine even if a bell was ringing on her 
neckband, should belong to me undisputedly; abi-n-$sé-llah 
‘endak w-‘enda-l-kza w-end alli hakki ma hafa? enna- d-delul 
fawwat ha lige hawij7i la jidenn birsemha lak ennaha lije 
barde.’ 

“The judge said: ‘Blejhan has spoken and ended well, 
hacja w-afleh. Now give thy account, Zaher.’ 

‘I will explain what took place, O Eben ‘AllQS, to thee 
and to everyone whose hand refuses bribes. It is known, bali, 
that my comrade Blejhan sat on my camel behind the saddle. 
It is infallible truth, sahih, that I adjudged that camel to him, 
yet behold, mar, today my hand is empty, while the hand 
of my comrade is full. Therefore I demand of thee and of 
all who mean well a half of that she-camel.’ 

“Then we were silent. Eben ‘Allis asked: 

‘Did ye agree at the moment ye saw the rider on this 
she-camel that ye would divide, or did ye not? jom ennakom 
talattu ra° had-delul entom tahdgartu walla? mé tahasartu.’ 

‘We did not!’ 

“Here the judge took both my and my comrade’s saber 
and said: ‘I shall deliver judgment, abi a‘roz ‘aleykom ma‘ rUZ. 
Thou, Zaher, wilt get from this she-camel a gold pound, néra, 
and the greed of both of you must be smothered by your 
sense of honor, w-‘arz killen jigfi ‘ala hazzeh, 

“I, that is Blejhan, replied: ‘O Eben ‘Allas, I shall not 
accept this; help me to my right, ana méd-rza ‘atnt hakki.’ 
* ‘So thou wilt not accept?’ 

‘I will not.’ 

‘Well, then, let Zaher stand up and swear by God and 
eight camels laden with corn that he did not adjudge the camel 
to thee even if it had been a mare with a bell on her neck.’ 

“IT urged my comrade: ‘No, rise, rise, fear not God, be- 
cause of thy greed! eum kum [sic] lad thaf allah ‘ala hazzgak, 

‘I will not swear,’ replied Zaher, ‘for I seek my refuge 
in God before thee and thy she- camel; mdni hdlef w-u‘ajjed 
allah mink ent wijje delilk, 

‘Take two megidijjat ($1.80), Eben ‘Allis, as a reward 
for thy work and give me my saber.’ 

“Taking then my saber and my camel, I rode away, reach- 
ing home in the evening, I, that is Blejhan.” 


434 RWALA BEDOUINS 


The same Blejhan related: “Our auxiliary troop met 
a fighting troop of the Eben Mazi and Ahl al-Gebel and 
captured the horses whose riders were thrown from their 
saddles, kalaje*. I too succeeded in capturing a mare, which 
I gave to the care of my kin. On the following morning one 
Ehdejjan came to claim her, stating it was he who had thrown 
the rider to the ground, kal‘ r@iha min zaharha. Now the 
usual quarrel began: ‘It is mine,’ ‘It is not thine.’ Urged by 
our relatives, who said: ‘Go to the judge to have your right 
cleared,’ we rode to Farhan eben Hdejb. 

‘What have ye there? Disclose it!’ 

“My opponent, zebili, said: ‘We shall disclose all, O Farhan 
eben Hdejb! before thee and before a judge who knows customs 
and has wit, and before everyone who despises (untruth) with 
his every thought; belli hajje w-dajje w-killi min jensdha min 
kill nigje. The cavalry of our enemy was defeated, hejl batiha. 
I overtook a rider. There was nobody near him who would 
either attack or defend him, lahazt al-hajjdl ma ‘endeh ld 
min jeshah w-ld min jenhah. I said to him: “Yield her to me 
for thy neck, reddha ‘ala rkabak, or I will shoot thee dead.” 
He would not yield, ‘ajja jerudd. Then I shot and threw him 
to the ground. Now I desire of thee, if God grant it, to return 
to me that which a blow delivered by my hand, dazz ?di, 
gained for me and of which my cousin, eben ‘ammi, now 
wishes to deprive me.’ 

“Having heard this, the judge said: ‘Ehdejjan has fi- 
nished; now do thou speak, Eben Zeri; disclose!’ 

‘And, by Allah! I shall disclose, Farhan eben Hdejb. At 
first I rode with the attacking cavalry, awwal mai hejlen 
myrire. We overtook the enemy and defeated him. Many a mare 
lost her rider. I overtook this mare. She was running, rider- 
less, to and fro, al-faras al-mdreg. There was nobody near 
who would defend her or take her away from me again, md 
‘endaha min jenhaha w-jenhéha. I would—God grant it! — 
that she belonged to me, lije, not to my cousin.’ Then we were 
silent. Farhan eben Hdejb — God have mercy on him! — spoke: 

‘Ye quarrel over a mare, entom muttdlbin [sic] ‘ala faras. 
Lead thy camel before me, Eben Zeri, kallet li delilk. 

‘Here is my she-camel! Hé hé!’ I made her kneel. Farhan 
then said: 

‘I shall decide between you, ana-héi ‘alejkom.’ 


JUDICIAL PROCEDURE 435 


‘Speak! Was it not in deference to thy word that we 
came? kowd rddinak,’ 

‘For thee, Eben Zeri, I have unpleasant news: I shall do 
violence to thee; abi-hzemk w-akwak. Thou shalt get the first 
colt should it be a filly, and, besides, a five- or six-year- 
old she-camel; lak awwaltha w-bicer walla’ tenw.’ 

‘I accept this as my right, hakki Zebilt” And I took a 
five-year-old she-camel, which Ehdejjan gave me, and waited 
for the filly. The captured mare went to him.” 


MURDER CASES, APPEALS, PATERNITY CASES, JUDGMENTS 
IN BLOOD FEUDS 


If a Bedouin meets an unknown man and shortly after- 
wards finds another man murdered, he describes the living 
stranger to the next chief. The news spreads and the avengers 
of the dead man accuse the man who answers to the description 
of being the murderer. He can only seek refuge with the near- 
est judge, ‘drefa, whom he tries to convince that the avengers 
are mistaken. The judge then visits the camp of him who had 
met the unknown man and found the dead body, and says to 
him as follows: ‘Describe to me exactly the appearance of 
the stranger thou didst meet.” This is done. If the description 
agrees, the judge says: “It is true; thy description has neither 
taken away nor added anything; sidz wasfk lad zar w-la rar.” 
This was explained by the sentence: “His discernment was not 
dull, nor did his intelligence turn aside; la zar dihneh w-la 
ray basareh.”’ 

When a litigant thinks that justice has not been done 
to him, he appeals to a board of judges, experts in law, 7e- 
‘arrez al-hakk ‘ala ‘awdref magmuin. In this session other 
people can also take part. The appellant adjures those present, 
jensedhom nisdan bid-din, in the following manner: 

“T adjure you by your wives and all that they bear; 
I adjure you by the long-maned mares; I adjure you by the 
milk-giving she-camels! ana nésedkom bel-mara w-mda tgib 
w-bel-hejl naterdt as-sabib w-bel-bel zejndt al-halib. To him 
who will clear up this matter it will bring success, but to 
him who refuses to testify it will bring ruin, alli jezherha 
tesorreh w-alli jecmadha tezorreh.” 


436 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Then the legal experts examine the case again, sift the 
evidence, and after this announce their judgment, 

There are many very difficult cases in adjudging pater- 
nity. , 
‘Awwad eben Tahiis of the Milhak kin of the Swalme 
clan took to wife, één metagawwezen leh, a daughter of his 
father’s brother. When he divorced her after some time, she 
married a man of the name of Ahu Bnejje al-J emini, to whom 
She bore a son, gdbat waladen. The first husband claimed the 
baby boy, saying to the second: 

“The boy that has come to thee belongs to me, al-walad 
al. gak hada lije ana.” 

They had a long dispute about it, temdtalow bénhom, and 
finally went to the chief Mkat eben Gandal to judge between 
them, tewdradow al-hakk ‘endeh. The first husband, ‘Awwad 
eben Tahiis, said: 

“What thinkest thou, our adept at law, and what think 
the judges? He who knows the law of God cannot possibly 
allow it to fail. Wsu? ‘endak ja ‘drefatna w-‘enda-l-kza@ w-min 
sdf hakk allah mé haffaéh. Verily this boy is mine. I divorced 
her when she was already carrying him. Bali waladi hédda 
hallejtaha w-hi ndzel beh.” Then spoke al-Jemini: 

“Good will to all! that is not the truth. When I married 
her she had nothing as yet in her womb. Not until eleven 
months afterwards, so help me Allah, did she bear a boy. 
Hejr mad hw sahth enni ahadtah w-hi mé bebatnah saj’en 
w-‘okob ehda‘ass Sahr j4-llah waledat.” 

The judge, ‘drefa, declared: “I shall pass no judgment 
until the wife is brought here.” 

When she came, he remained alone with her and said: 

“This boy is thine, regardless of the man who begot him, 
but if thou wilt tell the truth to me, I will get for thee from 
the one to whom I adjudge the boy one of his best she-camels; 
‘allemint bes-sahih w-ana ahott leé min alli jetla’ waladeh 
bair min hijér al-ba‘arin.” 

Afterwards he called in both men and said: “Bring hither 
your two best she-camels, one each;” which they did, making 
them kneel before the tent. Now the adept at law took the 
woman outside to the camels and said impressively: 

‘Speak, O woman! the truth, ehci 74 hurma as-sahith, and 
thou shalt receive a she-camel.” 


JUDICIAL PROCEDURE 437 


The woman, seizing the she-camel owned by her first 
husband, replied: “My first husband ‘AwwAd is the father of 
my boy.” 

This moved the second husband to say: “Be it so, but 
then I claim a reward for helping the boy out of that hole 
to the light and for his upkeep, arzi hakk ezhdri leh min 
hal-hufra wa-rddaje leh.” 

“Thou art right; “Awwad must give thee a camel for the 
upkeep,” decided Mkat. And so it happened: the first husband 
gave the second a camel and took the boy home with him. 

In judgments of blood feuds the winner of the case has 
to give the court ten she-camels; in disputes concerning a 
woman, one camel is paid; a mare, one camel; a she-camel, 
two megidijjat ($1.80); weapons, one gold pound. 


CHAPTER XVII 
PROTECTION OF THE OPPRESSED 


COUNTENANCE OR WAGH 


Protection granted by a man against his tribesmen or 
allies to a person regardless whether present or not is called 
a countenance, wagh. Before the countenance of some Rwejli 
it is possible to travel through the whole Rwala territory 
without fear of an attack or of violence. Before the counte- 
nance of Prince an-Niri one may cross not only the Rwala 
territory but also that of all other tribes which acknowledge 
his sovereignty. It is said of the prince that he resembles a 
long branch to which smaller twigs are attached. 

Whoever wishes to travel through the territory of a power- 
ful chief goes first to him with the following request: 

“I desire to ride through the pastures of thy tribe, so 
grant me the protection of thy countenance.” If the chief 
answers: 

“Undertake thy journey in peace! Behold, I give thee my 
countenance, midd ma‘ as-salame tardni e‘tik waghi,” he may 
start as tranquilly as if accompanied by the chief himself. 

If a man wishes to visit the territory of a strange tribe 
and has no comrade, hawi, of that tribe to go with him, he 
declares in the presence of some respected men of the neigh- 
boring tribe: “Behold, I go on a lengthy journey before the 
countenance, under the protection, of Chief So-and-So whose 
territory I shall soon enter.’ Then he continues his journey. 
When he meets the first members of the tribe in question, 
he shouts at them from afar: 

“Behold! I travel under the protection of your chief.” 
Should they disbelieve and rob him, he still tries to reach 
their chief, to whom he complains: 

“T undertook this journey before thy face! maddejt bwag- 
hak.’ 

The chief, disliking complications, replies: ‘That is a lie, 
cideb.” But the plundered man continues: , 

“I undertook this journey before thy face, as So-and-So 
from the Such-and-Such tribe, whose word is believed, ragdlen 
mahuden caldmahom, will testify.” | | 

438 


PROTECTION OF THE OPPRESSED 439 


Then the chief must send some one to the persons named 
to find out whether such is the case. If the messenger comes 
back with a report that the traveler has spoken the truth, 
the chief is obliged to return to him everything of which he 
has been robbed. Should he fail to do so he would dishonor 
his countenance, and his disgrace would spread all over the 
desert, with the result that his tribe, ashamed of the affair, 
would depose him. 

To refuse his countenance or protection to any one is a 
disgrace, as it is, likewise, to ask for a reward when grant- 
ing it; for the face must remain clean, must not be stained 
with any dirt, al-wagh nazif ma jarsadh ad-danas. 

The famous Rwejli warrior Fhejd eben Ma‘abhel had his 
camp in the Damascus territory, and yet he successfully pro- 
tected a Sammar woman who appealed to the protection of 
his face. She camped with her husband in Negd by the valley 
of ar-Rma’*. Her husband, becoming angry with her for some 
reason, began to beat her. Then she started to cry: 

“Ja fhejd ja baad hazy.” Thus young women call for 
protection, the meaning of the words being that the woman 
will submit to her protector in everything. Her husband was 
not a little surprised at that: 

“Tell me, my comrades, how can my wife call on Fhejd 
when he camps a month’s journey from us? tenha ‘alejje fhejd 
w-hw msdfet sahr zamdadnen ‘anna.”’ 

Yet some ‘Akejl camel buyers just then in camp heard 
the Sammar woman’s cries and spoke about it in the various 
camps to which their business brought them, the report of 
the incident finally reaching Fhejd himself. Ordering his slaves 
and fellow tribesmen to assemble for a raid, he rode around 
the Neftid on the east and in about twenty-five days reached 
the camp where the woman was living. There Fhejd declared 
that he would harm no one if they showed him the husband’s 
tent. When they showed him both the tent and the man, Fhejd 
set his she-camel running, stabbed the man with his spear in 
the thigh, and said to him: 

“Thou filthy beast, didst doubt that thy wife has my 
protection? If thou harmest her again, I will kill thee.” After 
this Fhejd returned to his people, meeting them in the Sir- 
han depression. 

If it is a matter of common knowledge that the head 
chief has lent a traveler his face or if the latter is accom- 


440 RWALA BEDOUINS 


panied by a haw? (or haéwi) and, nevertheless, some member of 
the chief’s tribe or a fellow tribesman of the hawi attacks and 
robs him, the culprit is punished with far greater severity 
than if he had committed murder, takti* al-wagh as‘ab min 
dabhat az-zelema (sic). For in a case of murder the blood price 
is fixed by ancient custom, whereas a chief or a hawi and their 
kin may ask any compensation they wish for the corruption 
of the face. Of such unlimited demands every robber is very 
much afraid, and therefore, although he often beats the hawt 
soundly and curses him, he always returns to the traveler 
all that he has robbed him of and begs him to swear in the 
hawi's presence that none of his property is missing and to 
forgive him. 


THE HAWI OR COMPANION WHO PROTECTS TRAVELERS 


If the traveler distrusts some tribe, he tries to hire as 
comrade either a member or an ally of the tribe, that he 
may then ride before his face. A companion protecting the 
traveler from both his fellow tribesmen and allies is called 
a hawt. To travel with a hawi is always easier than to travel 
before a chief’s countenance, because a hawi can be seen and 
heard, whereas the protection of a chief, often living at a 
great distance, must be first proved, which not only takes 
some time but in most cases is difficult. For this reason the 
chief usually gives the traveler in addition to his protection 
one of his slaves or servants to act as companion. 

In the selection of a hawi much caution is necessary. The 
more powerful and better known his kin, the more can his 
protection be depended upon. A common Rwejli is unable to 
protect against all the ‘Aneze but only against the division 
of this group of tribes called Zana Muslim. These people have 
an old, established custom that whenever any of them eats 
a meal with a traveler he also lends him his face, hawijet 
sufra. In this case it is not necessary at all for the traveler 
to ask him to be his hawi, as any man of the Zana Muslim 
is bound to deliver him from danger without a Special request, 
min rejr nab’ jefekkeh. Only a culprit fleeing before an avenger 
cannot become a hawi. 

One single face protects against all members of the Zana 
Muslim; the same applies to the Zana Bisr and also to all the 
‘Amarat, the other two great divisions of the ‘Aneze. As a 


PROTECTION OF THE OPPRESSED AAI 


result, three hawi suffice for protection against all the “Aneze 
from Aleppo to the Neftd and from the Sirhan depression 
to the river Tigris, lehom wagh wahed. 

With the Sammar it is altogether different. There the 
most reliable face is furnished by a man either of the Sin- 
gara or the ‘Abde. As the Aslam and Timan quarrel contin- 
ually, to traverse their territories with only one haw? is out 
of the question. If a traveler meets a Sammari and eats with 
him, he must nevertheless ask: “Wilt thou give me thy face 
against the Sammar if I give thee mine against Such-and- 
Such?” And, if the Sammari agrees, another question is neces- 
sary: “Against which Sammar canst thou be my hawi?” This 
must be repeated every evening, as a Sammari usually prom- 
ises for one day only. ; 

The members of the Sararat tribe, which has no head 
chief who can dictate to all the clans, md jekul ‘aleyjhom wa- 
had, are not secure even against their own fellow tribesmen. 
Then it pays to be very exact in inquiring whether the hawi 
can protect against the whole of his clan or merely against 
a few kins. A Sarari hawi, too, keeps his engagement for one 
day only. Should the traveler fail to renew the agreement 
with him, his hawt may himself rob him on the next day or 
make common cause with the robbers. 


PROTECTION BY REQUEST 


Protection granted by request, dahhdla, is the basis of 
all security both of person and property. Whoever is threat- 
ened by death or loss of property or whoever thinks that he 
is being wronged asks protection from him who has the power 
to give it. At the same time it is everyone’s duty to give 
protection when requested to do so. A refusal would imply 
weakness, would blacken one’s honor, and the man who re- 
fuses would be derided at all camp fires for his lack of manly 
courage. It is, of course, true that no one likes to be asked 
for protection because of the cruel work full of difficulties 
and trouble that is involved in it. 

One who is oppressed personally has to ask protection 
of someone more powerful or of a member of an important 
kin; it is sufficient, however, for him to enter the tent of 
the one whose protection he desires or even its sacred pre- 
cincts, muhdrem. The precincts begin either at the limits of 


442 RWALA BEDOUINS 


hearing distance or at a full spear’s length from the far- 
thest tent pegs. When a pursued person cries from afar to 
the tent owner that he is putting himself under his protection 
and is heard, the latter is bound to protect him. The term for 
such an occurrence is hakk as-sowt. On reaching the sacred 
precincts the pursued man finds himself under the protection 
of the tent. If he is unable from exhaustion to proceed any 
farther and remains lying on the ground inside the precincts, 
no harm may be done to him, as that would be a violation 
of the tent, ‘atab al-bejt. The owner of the tent, his wife, or 
child shouts: 

“Why dost thou violate my protégé? thine eyesight is 
sharp enough, is it not? léh ta‘teb ‘ala dahili ent ‘ajnak Z2W197€. 
With us the precincts of a tent are recognized as sacred by 
an old custom; no one would dare to violate it; al-muhdérem 
‘endana “ddaten sdnijjaten md had jaktatha.” 

The persecuted man always tries to reach the tent. When 
he succeeds, he takes hold of the occupant’s wife, or a girl 
there, or holds a baby towards his pursuers, Saying: | 

“The protégé has arrived.and saved himself, dahal ad- 
dahil w-silem.” The people in the tent, whether men or women, 
cry: “Our protégé! Stop, respect the tent; stand still! dahilana 
jammakom al-bejt al-bejt jammakom.” Anyone who injures or 
kills the protégé inside the tent must compensate the owner 
for disgracing his tent, hakk bow2t al-bejt. Disgracing of a 
tent is punished with greater severity than injury to the face, 
ekta al-wagh. The distance from the protecting tent to the 
tent of the culprit is measured by steps, and the latter must 
give one lezz camel for every step as compensation for disgrac- 
ing the tent. If, however, the persecuted man has killed one 
of the tent owner’s near kinsmen, no protection will be given 
him and he may be killed in the tent itself, even if the woman 
present at the time were to grant him protection, dahhdla. 
This proceeding is explained and excused by the rousing of 
the blood, fowgt ad-damm, of the kinsmen when they see or 
hear that one of their number has just been killed. 

Protection obtained in person is followed by the granting 
of the protection of the countenance. The protégé moves 
constantly before the countenance of him whose protection 
he enjoys, alli dahal ‘alejh. Such protection cannot be limited 
but must be given a wide interpretation, ad-dahhdla mamdide 
ma hi mahdide; therefore there is never any dispute as to 


_ 2 


; 
Oe ee ee ee 


PROTECTION OF THE OPPRESSED 443 


its validity. To deny having been asked for protection or to 
try to rid oneself of the obligation would be considered a 
disgrace. For one of the chief marks of gentility, mruwwa, 
of a Bedouin is the granting of protection when it is asked 
for. The man who grants protection, dahhdla, must forthwith 
announce it in the whole camp and even in all the camps 
around: “Let none dare to come near So-and-So! Know ye 
that he has put himself under our protection! Whoever harms 
him will pay us the price of our countenance!” 

It is also possible to obtain protection for animals in 
dispute. In this case the ‘oppressed party leads the animal 
into the sacred precincts of the tent, or at least brings a hand- 
ful of hair cut from its tail, halab leh helbe. In the latter 
case the protector, taking the hair, then goes to the herd in 
which the animal in dispute is kept and, having recognized 
it by its clipped tail, leads it before his tent. Nobody dares 
to touch it there until the dispute is settled. 


Typical Cases of the Granting of Protection and its 
Consequences 


Blejhan eben Zeri told the following story: ‘‘We, the Kmusa 
men, were camping in the al-Mijah valley. There was not much 
water in the wells. Medbar eben ‘Abdallah watered his sheep 
and goats, ranameh, from a well. Belhan eben Mnazzel brought 
his flock to the same well and tried to drive Medbar away. 
Enraged, the latter attacked Belhan, sata’ beh, fell upon him, 
adlah beh, with a saber, and cut off his nose, so that it hung 
only by a bit of skin and later had to be sewn on with the 
hair of a virgin. Medbar, leaving his flock, then ran into our 
tent, that is of the Eben Zeri, and shouted: . 

‘Behold, I call on Allah and all of you to protect me from 
the face of my cousin, so that he will not attack me!’ 

“We ran out of the tent and warned them, nadahna ‘alej- 
hom: ‘Let nobody come near Medbar and his kin. He has asked 
for our protection and is our protégé.’ Then we mounted our cam- 
els, surrounded all the tents belonging to Medbar’s kin, helped 
them strike them, and conducted them to the settled territory, 
rarrabna, on the Euphrates, where we crossed the river, ‘abarna, 
and encamped in al-Gezire. Some time later the wounded man, 
alli mostijen beh, watered his flock in the Euphrates and saw 
a relative of the assailant, as-sati, who, as it was the time of 


444 RWALA BEDOUINS 


the greatest heat of the day, was just resting with his flock, 
mzajjel branameh. Suddenly Belhan seized his heavy club, ma- 
drub, jumped at this relative of Medbar, and beat him till he 
fell down insensible. When it was reported to us, we at once 
rode to the river and took Belhan to task: 

‘Thou knowest that he is under our protection. Why dost 
thou insult our face? Why dost thou beat thy cousin?’ 

“He replied: ‘O brothers, his fate has overtaken him, 
amreh sar.’ But we went straight to his kin, naharna haleh, 
compelled them to come with us, and took all their tents and 
flocks just as if they were enemies as compensation for our 
lost face, w-ahadnahom ahd al-kowmédni hakk waghana heldl- 
hom w-bujuithom. Then, lodging them, in our tents for the time 
being, we gave them this advice, w-asarna ‘alejhom Sowren: 

‘If you make up the quarrel, behold! we shall give you 
these flocks; if not, we shall keep all as the price of our face 
and shall return nothing to you, md nantih’ We had them 
all assembled, lajjemndhom, in our chief’s tent. Medbar and 
Belhan also appeared, each with his surety: 

‘Medbar, wilt thou be reconciled with thy cousin?’ 

‘I will, zableh.’ 

‘Turn to, anhed, thy surety!’ 

‘I. turn to ‘Abtan.’ 

‘Wilt thou be reconciled, ‘Abtan?’ 

Twill? 

‘Dost thou vouch for the reconciliation?’ 

‘I do.’ 

“Next we asked Belhan: ‘Wilt thou be reconciled with thy 
cousin?’ 

‘T will.’ 

‘Who is thy surety?’ 

‘Razi.’ 

‘Will Razi guarantee that Belhan will keep peace?’ 

‘I do.’ 

‘Lay aside your arms, then embrace and kiss!’ This they 
did and became reconciled, and we now could give back to 
Belhan’s kin all that we had taken from them as the price 
of our face.” 

Za‘al eben Razi of the Kmusa subdivision of the Sba‘a tribe 
had a son; N ejtil eben Cdejj jan was the father of a daughter. 
Za‘al and Nejtal were the sons of two different fathers but 
of the same mother. Za‘al reserved Nejtil’s daughter for his 


PROTECTION OF THE OPPRESSED 445 


son, claiming the cousin’s right to his cousin. Nejtal denied 
that the cousin’s right was involved in this case, and his 
daughter declared that she would never marry Za‘al’s son. 
Za‘al then began to persecute Nejttl in such a hostile manner 
that the latter had to seek refuge in Ratwan eben MerSed’s 
tent and to ask his protection. Ratwan, sending for Za‘al, said 
to him: 

“Count thine ancestors till thou findest one who is both 
thine and Nejttl’s. Then ask for his daughter, and I myself 
will bring her to thee, if necessary, with a saber in my hand, 
atakaffaha jammak bes-sejf rasban.” 

Za‘al began to count: “Razi, the son of Sabr, the son of 
Sajer, the son of Farag, the son of Murabbet — and Murab- 
bet is the fifth ancestor of Nejtiél.” After this Za‘al brought 
five pack camels: a five-year-old, rubd‘, a four-year-old, teni, 
a three-year-old, ged‘, a two-year-old, hezz, and a yearling, 
mafrud, and, making them kneel before Ratwan’s tent, spoke 
thus: 

“OQ Kmusa, here ye see five ancestors connecting me with 
Nejtul. I call you as witnesses. Jad kmusa tardkom Ssdhedin 
‘ala ‘adad al-gdud taradhen najehat.” Here Nejttl, turning to 
Ratwan, interposed: 

“Za‘al’s son does not belong to my kin; he is not a cousin 
of my daughter and therefore cannot have her for five camels. 
Behold, I, thy protégé, demand such gifts as, according to 
ancient custom, are given in such cases, al-mukalledat. Make 
Za‘al bring also earrings valued at eight pounds, tardci bta- 
man néradt, a necklace, towk, the pendants to the necklace, 
madnez, and also enough silk and cotton stuffs, so that I 
could walk on them from thy tent to mine.” 

When Ratwan repeated Nejttl’s demands to Za‘al, he 
refused them indignantly, saying that al-mukalledat gifts had 
long been out of fashion. 

“T let thee know my protégé’s demands and ask thee to 
comply with them. If thou thinkest that the al-mukalledat 
gifts are no longer given, bring me thine opinion confirmed by 
the judge Eben Rubejn and I shall believe thee. But if Eben 
Rubejn decides that thou must give what Nejtil demands, 
then bring a surety that thou wilt do it; otherwise Nejtul 
will marry his daughter to whomsoever he sees fit.” 

“Well, then, let Eben Rubejn decide according to the law. 
Snejdan is my surety. Come, Snejdan, grasp my moustache 


446 RWALA BEDOUINS 


with both hands and declare in my name that I will give all 
that Nejtal asks, if Eben Rubejn decides that the al-mukalle- 
dat gifts must be given.” 

Snejdan then held both ends of his moustache in his 
fingers and Za‘al promised to give Nejtil all he demanded, 
if Eben Rubejn should decide by affixing his seal that al-mu- 
kalledat were lawful. Going to Eben Rubejn, he soon returned 
with a decision in the affirmative. But, as neither Nejtal nor 
Ratwan would abate anything of their demands, Za‘al gave 
up his claim to Nejtil’s daughter, and she afterwards married 
another man. 

A certain Rwejli was given to quarreling. Once he quarreled 
over acamel with a man more powerful than himself. Unable 
to obtain his right, he cut off a handful of hair from her 
tail, brought it to Sa‘din eben Me‘Sel, and said: 

“Behold, this hair asks God’s and thy protection in a 
matter of right!” 

“Be it so, thou owner of the camel! The right should be 
helped to grow freely, for a just dispute must go on its well 
trodden road.”’ 

Then Sa‘din mounted his mare, took the hair with him, and, 
accompanied by his slaves, rode to the herd of the disturber of 
the right, katta* al-hakk. The slaves soon found the camel 
with the clipped tail and began to drive her away. Alarmed 
by his herdsman’s cries, the disturber of the right galloped 
up on his mare; but Sa‘din shouted at him: 

“Wilt thou let thy cousin have his right?” 

aN 

“Know, then, that I shall help him to obtain it.” 

Having said this, he gave the she-camel to his protégé 
and dismissed him with the words: “In future protect thy 
camels thyself. May God protect me from all the evil thou 
causest by thine incessant quarreling!” 

The parents of a married woman who had no other heirs 
died leaving a large herd of camels. The daughter wished to 
get at least two she-camels out of the estate, but the relatives 
of the dead couple refused to permit it, and she had to return 
to her tent in disgrace, rawwahat hagléna ‘ala bejtha. Not . 
long afterwards the camp was moved to another place, and 
while she was pitching a tent she saw her parents’ camels 
passing by. Running towards the herd, she selected two young 
she-camels, drove them to Krejtan eben al-Hiim’s tent, and, 


PROTECTION OF THE OPPRESSED 447 


making them kneel there, shouted to Krejtan: ‘Behold, of 
God and of thee I ask protection for these she-camels, as 
they are the property of my ahl, kin, by right.” No sooner 
had she said this than one of her relatives came running to 
her and, rolling his eyes in a frenzy, tdjerdt ‘ajvineh, tried 
to drive the animals away. But the protector spoke sternly: 

“Stand still, fellow! Art thou blind? I was asked to protect 
them. Not until thou allowest right to take its course and they 
are adjudged to thee, canst thou have them. Jammak 74 zelema 
ent ‘amjan hadolen mdahhalat ‘alejji bel-hakk elja-msejt al- 
hakk w-sdrat lak hodhen.” The woman then chose a security, 
who took her opponent to the ‘drefa judge, ‘Awejnan eben 
Said: 

“Tell your story, ehtecu,”’ ordered the judge. The woman’s 
representative began: 

“What dost thou think, O ‘Awejnan, of a woman crushed 
by the will of God? wés ‘endak bel-hurma makti‘at as-sejha. 
We wish, if it be God’s will, that thou shouldst not deprive 
her of her share of her parents’ estate.” 

The opponent argued thus: “What dost thou think, “Awe}j- 
nan eben Sa‘id, of a wedded woman, alli birkubet ar-raggal, 
who wants to divide with me the herd of my relatives? tabi 
thaserni behalal hali. And yet she is no desolate orphan, having 
a noble husband living and two sons; w-hddi mad hi jetime 
alhin hi birkubet ar-raggal w-laha waladejn. I desire of God 
and of thee that thou deprivest her of the share of the herd 
or my ani.” 

‘Awejnan declared: ‘“‘A case like this has been already 
decided. That decision is more than five years old and is 
therefore valid for this woman too. Both she-camels are hers.” 

In the spring of 1899 the Hwetat, sanat al-hweétat, at- 
. tacked the Kmusa in their camp at al-Krejjat. The latter 
resisted bravely, but it was long before the enemy was finally 
beaten off. Many warriors were killed and many wounded. One 
of the Hwétat, while fleeing, shot dead the grandson of Eben 
Kardas. Then, realizing that it was impossible to escape, he 
drove his horse right into the Kmusa camp, leapt into Rsejd 
eben Mesreb’s tent, and asked for protection, tah bel-bejt w- 
dahal ad-dahil w-silem. RSejd’s daughter shouted instantly to 
the pursuers: 

“Stand still! There is a tent before you. He is our protégé,” 
and sent a female slave for her father. RSejd, though he was 


448 RWALA BEDOUINS 


wounded in the left hand and bespattered with blood, posted 
himself in front of his tent and liberated the Hwéti, fakkeh, 
from the enraged crowd. But no sooner did Eben Kardas 
learn that the enemy who had slain his grandson was in 
Rsejd’s tent, than he came there galloping on his mare and 
offered RSejd twenty camels if he would deliver the Hwéti 
to. him. Rsejd declined with these words: 

“Wouldst thou tarnish my tent, md tebié bejti, so that 
I should become an object of contempt? atasajje° beh.” 


Protection of Enemy Who Voluntarily Surrenders 


The Bedouins hate to shed blood and therefore spare the 
lives of their enemies as much as possible. Thus, when re- 
pulsing an attack and pursuing an enemy, they urge him to. 
surrender, kdmow jamna‘tin, with the words: 

“Yield it (thy mare, camel, or arms) for thy neck as long 
as I can help thee, ruddha ‘ala rkubtak metiéli anfa‘ak.” 

The enemy answers: “Lay God on me! hott ‘alejji allah.” 

“God on thee! ‘ale7zk allah.” 

Sore Lo 

An enemy who has surrendered voluntarily is called mani‘, 
pardoned or saved, because his adversary has pardoned him 
and saved his life, mana‘eh ‘an rukubteh ‘an ad-dabeh. All the 
possessions of such a mani‘, such as his horse, camel, clothes, 
arms, etc., become the property of his captor. The latter, 
however, lets him keep them for a while, merely taking the 
precaution of giving the mani his headband, kerchief, or 
jacket as a sign and a warning, amurijje, that nobody must 
harm him. The pardoner, médne‘, then throws himself into 
the fight anew, and not until the victory is complete will he 
look for his mani in order to take him and the booty to | 
his tent. There he despoils the captive of anything he desires © 
and then dismisses him with a gift of some kind. Yet some- 
times the mani‘ chooses to break his word and tries to escape. 
If his animal is unwounded and the fighters draw away to 
some distance, he creeps out of the enemy’s troop and flees 
into the desert, jehott al-kowm Sanak w-jenir al-hala’. On his 
return home, elja’ tabb ‘ala haleh, he will send, at the next 
opportunity, the part of the dress received from the mane‘ 
back to him. A pardoned mani of this kind is called bajez, 
faithless. This will not injure him much with his fellow tribes- 


PROTECTION OF THE OPPRESSED 449 


men, but among the enemy he must, if recaptured, expect 
death, as no one will pardon him again. 

Bajez, faithless, is also said of one who attacks a friend. 
Such a stain fell on the name of the Rwala when, in the 
spring of 1898, they attacked the ‘Ebede in al-Ka‘ra. The 
‘Ebede, under the chief Bargas eben Hdejb, asked Eben Sa‘lan 
for peace. This was granted, and the messengers returned home 
in the evening; but on the following morning Eben Sa‘lan’s, 
Eben Me‘gel’s, and Eben M&gejd’s warriors attacked Barégas’ 
camp again and completely looted it. To excuse himself Eben 
Sa‘lan asserted that this particular troop had left twenty days 
before on a raid against the ‘Amarat in the vicinity of Ker- 
bela but, when repulsed, attacked the ‘Ebede on their way 
home, in ignorance of the fact that peace had just been con- 
cluded. The “Ebede, however, do not believe this subterfuge 
but still maintain that they were attacked treacherously, bd- 
kowhom bowka, and, whenever they sight a Rwejli in the 
desert, they utter their battle cry, jentahun: “I am a rider 
protecting the ‘Arfa herds, I a Sbé‘%. O those faithless ones! 
O those blackened faces! Have you forgotten the peace dinner? 
Hajjal al-‘arfa sbé% al-bowkdn sowddan al-wgih wén mradda- 
kom.” A breach of faith is always condemned, for it is punished 
by God. Hence the saying: “A faithless one will never rise 
above the dogs, ra‘ al-bowk md jarka’ fowk al-clab.”’ 


PROTECTION IN CASES OF THIEVERY 


To despoil a stranger belonging to a tribe not related 
to one’s own is a proof of cunning and strength. But no chief 
will stoop to stealing. It is usually the sons of poorer families 
who go out in twos or threes to steal or to rob. A thief on 
foot is called hdjef or hansuli; if mounted on horse or camel 
he is known as mu‘ajjer. When the ma‘dajiv arrive near the 
enemy’s camp they hide and try to acquaint themselves with 
the whole terrain. After sunset they leave their horses or 
she-camels in a safe place and crawl near to the tents. One 
of them remains at a certain spot about five hundred paces 
from the tents; the other advances cautiously till he finds 
a good horse or a she-camel which he thinks worth stealing. 
If he succeeds, he hurries back with the capture to his comrade 
and then to the place where their own animals are hidden. 
Tying the stolen animals to their own, he then leads them all 


450 . RWALA BEDOUINS 


afew hundred meters farther but away from the place where 
his comrade is stationed. The latter keeps his place at least 
one hour longer, waiting to see if by chance the theft has 
been discovered in the camp. Should an alarm be given and 
search made for the stolen animals, he tries to attract atten- 
tion to himself and then leads the pursuers in a different di- 
rection from that taken by his comrade, until, after eluding 
them altogether, he makes haste to join him. Then, mounting 
the captured animal, he makes his escape while the pursuers 
are following the wrong scent. 

If a thief is seen crawling near, he may be shot at sight. 
If he is caught, his captors beat him, jaktoltineh, revile him, 
jasahmineh, and, if he is unknown to them, tie him fast 
to prevent him from running away and stealing something 
after all. After sunrise breakfast is given him and he is free 
to go wherever he wishes. In case the thief with the stolen 
mare escapes and his watching comrade is caught, kazib, the 
latter may be killed on the spot but must not be held in 
fetters to compel his comrade to return the stolen animal. 
Fettering is not an established custom, md hi ‘ddaten sdni- 
jaten, among friends. A member of a hostile tribe, when 
caught in camp at night, is generally put in the irons used for 
fettering a mare’s forelegs in the evening, and he is then called 
rabit. In order to save his life he must offer some animals of 
his herd as a ransom. In this case it is said that “the captive 
sent his movable property instead of ne neck, ar-rabit kallat 
halaleh zidddm rukubteh.” 

To steal from a fellow tribesman or even from a neighbor 
is considered a disgrace. A thief of this type is called bawwak, 
netul, or nedii*. No one will suffer him to come to his tent. 
Should he enter a tent in another camp, any one knowing 
him will instantly call the owner’s attention to him: “This 
man is a bawwdk. Let him not sleep in your place! Hada 
bawwak lad thalltih jamrah ‘endakom.” However, if his sons 
are known to be honest, they are not made to suffer for their 
father’s shame. 

If anyone can show indisputable proofs that a fellow 
tribesman has stolen, for instance, a firearm from him and 
if the other denies it, the robbed man takes two or three of 
the offender’s camels, drives them before the tent of a more 
powerful neighbor, and, after obtaining his protection for them, 
adhalhen ‘alejh, brings his witnesses. The protector must then 


PROTECTION OF THE OPPRESSED A451 


aid him in obtaining his rights, jimassi-l-hakk. First he goes 
to the accused and asks him to return the stolen weapon or 
to declare on gehira oath (see above, p. 430) that he has 
stolen nothing. Should he refuse to do either, the protector 
will declare: “Behold! So-and-So resists, although the weapon 
belonging to X is in his belly. The she-camels for whom the 
latter has asked my protection from this day are his own. 
Beware everyone who would take them away from him. Be- 
hold! they stand before my face.” 

His honor, his good name are the principal motives of 
a Rwejli’s charity. There is nothing he fears as much as dis- 
honor to his good name and a reflection on his character, or, 
as he says, the blackening of his face. Should he fail to guard 
his protégé effectually, to get compensation for him who walks 
before his countenance, should he disregard his guest: in all 
these cases he is threatened with the blackening of his face. 
The wronged man then ties a black rag to a long stick or to 
a spear and cries: 

“This is the black flag of So-and-So. I put myself under his 
protection and he has not freed me; I suffered loss before his 
face; I was his guest and he has not fed me. May Allah blacken 
his face! Hadi raje sowda? flan eben flan dahalt ‘alejh w-lé 
fakkni rah rizki bwagheh ma ‘assani sawwad allih wagheh.” 
Naturally the people are eager to learn the details and on 
hearing them run to the accused to mete out justice. 


PROTECTION FROM OPPRESSORS; RECOGNITION 
OF BENEFACTORS 


If a man of power oppresses a. weaker one and the latter 
is unable to defend his honor himself, he ties a piece of black 
tent cloth to a stick or spear, rides around the camp of his 
kin, and shouts: 

“My friends, O ye people who give protection! know ye 
that my face has been insulted by the powerful So-and-So; 
rabi ja hla-l-hamijje katta’ waghi flan al-belijje.” 

This is a sign to his kinsmen to mount their horses or 
camels and to parade before him shouting their battle cry, 
jearzun ‘endeh w-jentahin: “X, behold, here I stand before 
thee, O X! ja fldn ‘ajnék [sic] 7a flan.” 

When all are assembled, they tear up and throw away 
the black flag, surround the tent of their powerful neighbor, 


452 . RWALA BEDOUINS 


and compel him both to right the wrong done and to give 
compensation. 

When he has complied with every demand, the powerful 
man now asks his weaker opponent to declare this publicly. 
When that is done, he ties a white cloth, Sowra, to a stick 
or spear, just as was done with the black material before, 
and makes a circuit of all the camps in the vicinity, waving 
his flag and crying: 

“We have done our duty, kazejna ldzemna.”’ 

This he does in order to inform all the wronged one’s 
relatives that a reconciliation has been effected, for otherwise 
he might be attacked by some of them. Moreover, he wants 
all his fellow tribesmen to know that no further reproach 
may be brought against him. 

A white flag is also flown by a grateful enemy in honor 
of his benefactor. Whoever on a raid or in a fierce fight or 
when being pursued has been saved from certain death, on his 
return flies a white flag in front of his chief’s tent and says: 

“So-and-So — may Allah whiten his face! — on a day 
when life was nearing its end and death was stepping forward, 
saved the neck which moves here before you. Oh, may Allah 
whiten his face! Flan bajjaz allah wagheh jowm akfat al- 
hajja w-akbalat al-menijje fakk ar-rukubat al-mdalijje.” 

Then two of the assembly stand up, inquiring: “Whose 
is the white flag flying here? lemin hal-béza al-mabnijje.” 

“It belongs to So-and-So, may Allah whiten his face!’ 

“We testify that he is deserving of a white flag. He is 
a brave youth who acted, as he did, with deliberation. Hail 
to him, by Allah himself! Jistéhel al-béza rldmen ‘ana-lha 
w-hejh hejh ja lallah.” 

From the chief’s tent the news of the honored man’s 
deeds spreads through the whole camp, the guests present, 
of course, bring the news to other camps, and before a month 
is out the main topic of conversation at all the camp fires for 
hundreds of kilometers around is the story of how X us 
saved Y from certain death. 


BEGGARS; LOST ARTICLES 


There are no beggars among the Rwala. An impoverished 
man is helped by his kin, his clan, and the chief. And yet 
sometimes beggars are to ek seen walking through the camps. 


PROTECTION OF THE OPPRESSED 453 


They are of the Slejb and Sararat tribes. Such a pauper, za7f, 
comes to the women’s compartment in the tent and whimpers: 

“OQ mistress of this tent! behold, I am, by All4h himself, 
naked and my family hungers. Therefore I come to Allah and 
to this tent; w-ana gaj jamm allah w-jamm hal-bejt.” 

If there is want in the tent, too, or if they are not willing 
to give anything, they simply say: 

“Run along, we have nothing to give! kawter md ‘endana 
Sien.” | 

A chief could not, of course, let a beggar go away in 
that manner, and other Rwala also try to do as much as 
they can for him. They do it, partly from love of Allah, 
ilahijje, partly because they like to hear the beggar’s thanks 
and hope that their charity may be extolled elsewhere, jeskor 
w-jedkor. 

To conceal a lost article is not considered dishonest as 
long as nobody calls for it. The finder is not required to 
search for its owner; he must search for his own property. 

Many things get lost during the migrations. The camels 
laden with tents, furniture, rugs, garments, etc., rub against 
each other or against bushes, roll in the sand, start trotting 
suddenly, and lose one parcel after another of their load all 
along the route. Many of these lost things can be easily hidden 
and appropriated for the finder’s own use, as the dress and 
personal effects of the Rwala and the furnishings of their 
tents are almost without exception similar in their appearance. 
It is hard to prove that this or that article does not belong 
to the person in possession. A dishonest person or one who 
has no fear of Allah will not return what he has found even 
when asked to do so by the owner himself. The latter usually 
either hires a public crier or, mounting a horse or camel, 
himself rides slowly through the camp in the evening when 
all the people are in their tents, shouting: “Oh, thou who hast 
seen such and such a thing and esteemest Allah more than 
that which thou hast concealed! O thou who wilt keep quiet 
about a thing of no value, be careful that thou takest it not 
for that which is dear to thee, that the place where thy 
camels rest at night will not be left empty; and that thou 
mayest not call for help with no man willing to hear thee! 
Ja min ‘ajjan as-si al-flani w-hw jedkor allah ‘an al-rabv’ 
ja Gdmen al-bali taiawwazteh bel-rali jasbah mrahak hali tsith 
w-la lak wali.” 


A454 RWALA BEDOUINS 


“Whoever has seen such and such a thing or heard or 
received news of it, or knows anything of it, let him remember 
God and not hide it; 7@ min ‘ajjan al-raraz al-fldni aw hebber 
aw “allem w-hw jedkor allah ‘an al-raba’.” 

When a man happens to know something of the lost 
article and hears the shouting, he says: “Come hither and 
take thy thing!” 

If anything belonging to a traveling merchant, Kubejsi, 
is lost, he too rides through the camp shouting at the top 
of his voice: 

“Q ye who hear this voice, praise the Prophet! He is for 
you the first, ‘Ali is the second, and Fatma, the prophet’s 
daughter, is the third. Who has seen this and that?” 

The finder of the lost article, if willing to return it, 
shouts back to the crier: “O thou owner of that thing, come 
hither! ja rda‘%-l-raraz elhadk elhdk.” 

But if a lost article which has been proclaimed publicly 
and which has evidently been concealed with the intention 
of keeping it, is found, the culprit is reviled by the whole 
camp and soundly thrashed by his kinsfolk, jenakkelineh 
tenkil, because he has disgraced them. 


CHAPTER XVIII 
HOSPITALITY 


SALUTATIONS 


A salutation, if returned, is a guarantee of safety in the 
desert, as-salam salame. If a stranger travels unaccompanied 
by a hawi through the territory of a tribe unknown to him 
and salutes someone—be it only a little girl—and is saluted 
in return, he may be reasonably certain that he will be neither 
attacked nor robbed, for even a little girl with all her kin will 
protect him. Should the fellow tribesmen of the girl attack 
and rob him, mdhid, he has only to ask the help of her kins- 
folk, who must take his part. The girl is the best witness: 
“A traveler saluted me at such and such a place, of about 
such and such an age, dressed thus and so, riding on a she- 
camel,” of which she also gives a description. Frequently even 
an enemy saves himself in this manner when hotly pursued. 
Realizing that he cannot escape, he suddenly changes his 
course, returns by a roundabout way to the camp of his pur- 
suers, salutes a child, and, taking its hand, allows himself to 
be led to the tent of the parents. The adult Bedouins, being 
more cautious, do not answer at once when saluted by a man 
they do not know. Especially if two or three are riding to- 
gether and approach a camp at night, the guard replies to 
their salute thus: 

“Ye are outlawed; I shall not return your salutation; 
tardkom mwassedin w-laé ‘aleyjkom radd as-salam.” For an out- 
lawed one, mwassed, is treated like an enemy to whom a 
salutation is of no use whatever. 

The salutation of the traveling Bedouins consists of many 
sayings, questions, and answers. 

The shortest one is: “Be strong [So-and-So]! kaww [flan].” 

The saluted person replies to this: “Welcome to us! ja 
hala.” 

The traveler then asks: “How art thou? ¢Gejf ent,’ and 
is answered: “May Allah salute thee! allah jesallimk.” 

“T wish success to thee, al-‘awdfi.” 


455 


456 RWALA BEDOUINS — 


“May Allah grant success to thee! allah je‘dftk.” 

“How is thy health? éejf hdlak.” 

“May Allah preserve thy health! alldh jesallem hdlak.” 

“How are thy little sons? éejf ‘ejdlak.” 

“They are well. May Allah grant success to thee and pre- 
serve all that thou lovest! bel-‘dfi allah je‘afik w-jesallem 
raltk.”’ 

The ordinary part of a salutation being exhausted by the 
foregoing, more particular questions, which are of great im- 
portance in the desert, may be asked: : 

“Whither bound? wén ent.” “Where dost thou come from? 
min én git.” “From where dost thou bless us? min én Nagi 
“Tell us some news of the territory thou hast crossed, ‘allemna 
b'ulumaha.” “Give us the reports! hat al-‘ulim.” 

It takes some time to tell of the raids undertaken and 
the booty obtained, of pastures, watering places, ete., as these 
accounts, “ultim, in the desert take the place of newspapers 
and the welfare of the traveler or even of the whole clan 
often depends on them. If both the saluting men are riding 
on camels, they halt and, letting their animals graze at will, 
press their crossed hands against the front saddle knob, sink 
their heads, converse, and listen. If on foot, they squat on their 
heels, support themselves by their staves, and talk. At last 
one of them puts the question: 

“Thou didst not mention to us thy last hosts, ma dakart 
lena al-ma‘azib.” 

“They camp at such and such a place. Ye may be there 
before evening, terawwehtinahom.” “They camp not far from 
your face,” or “on your right (or left) hand.” 

If the travelers ride close by a camp, there is always 
someone there who goes out to stop them and learn what 
they know, so that he can relate it in the chief’s tent to the 
others. A traveling Bedouin will hardly ever conceal the posi- 
tion of his late hosts’ camp, but women gathering dry fuel or 
hay almost always keep the whereabouts of their own camp 
secret and try to direct the traveler to some other camp. 
They fear lest the unknown man be a spy of the enemy or 
a robber, and, even if he is not, they do not care for a guest, 
who naturally adds to their work. At the same time the in- 
quisitiveness of their sex and the desire to bring news home 
with them, impels them to call the traveler back on the pre- 
text of pointing out the road better. The rider sits in his 


HOSPITALITY A57 


saddle, the woman stands sideways to him, covering her nose 
with her left hand, and explains but soon begins to put ques- 
tions, the answering of which keeps the rider busy. 

If a traveler rides close by the herds, the herdsmen run 
to him from all sides, salute, ask questions, and finally bee: 
“Would you not give a drink to a thirsty one? mé tesézzin 
al-“atsdn.”’ 

As a rule, the travelers say they have no water at all. “We 
have no water, md ‘endana ma’,” which means that they will 
not be delayed. As the water is laden on a camel, it would 
be necessary first to stop her, to open the bag, pour the 
water into a pannikin, tie the bag up again, start the camel 
going, and make sure that the water is not dripping from the 
bag. Many a thirsty man hardly waits for an answer, but 
springs to the camel carrying the water, partly opens the 
bag, drinks, and keeps leaping after the moving animal, with 
water running down his chin. Having drunk his fill, he holds 
the bag with his left hand and with his right tries to stop 
the animal, so that he can tie the bag as it was. The camel, 
murmuring, resists, the water flows out, and the traveler be- 
comes angry at the loss of water which was to last him for 
several days. For this reason water is generally refused to 
the herdsmen unless they bring along fresh camel milk; in 
this case they are given water in exchange. More pity is shown 
by the mounted traveler to one on foot. To such he always 
gives a drink if the next watering place or camp is more 
than halt a day distant. 


TRAVELERS’ DITTIES 


Travelers amuse themselves with the singing of ditties, 
tatwih, a word which means literally to fill with passion, to 
ery at the top of one’s voice. They are sung in a high voice, 
ranw bali hesseh. One of the riders begins to sing, and as 
soon as he finishes the first half of the verse it is repeated 
by the second rider or the whole troop, the first continuing 
in the meantime to sing the second half of the verse. When 
he has finished, he intones the first half of the second verse, 
his comrades keeping silent the while and joining in only when 
it is complete. In this manner a single double verse is often 
repeated for a half an hour or even longer. 


458 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Ja raceb al-hamra’ O thou who ridest a bay! 


ja zareb an-nijje Thou comest as if sent for; 
ekhar w-‘allemni | Stop now and tell me thy news, 
elja ‘dd lak nijje. If thou wishest, of course. 


Bén al-bisri w-as-suhne 
ja tejr hat ‘elimah 
jidkar ‘asiri wagasan 
w-min al-bata ma-limah. 


Betwixt al-BiSri and as-Suhne, 

O falcon! give me news of her. 

My sweetheart is ill, I hear, 

For the delay, therefore, I blame her not. 


Béni w-bén al-rali 
singadr mitl al-reyme 
hada mrah al-rali 
w-hdda manam tu‘ejme. 


Between me and my sweetheart 

Singar is rising like a cloud. 

This is the spot where at night my sweetheart’s 
flock rested, 

And this is the spot where Tu‘ejme slept. 


J a-hla-l-esedde 
ja mwaffekin al-hejr 
allah jeruddeh 
makom serié ar-ruh, 


O ye camel riders! 

O ye, who always meet with success! 
May Allah turn evil from you, 

For my soul’s comrade is among you. 


A lover salutes the camel riders who accompany the moy- 
ing clan of his sweetheart. 


Ma-ti delili 

low ‘arrazow li-8-Sowk 
nabri nehtili 

low halat al-rulmén. 


Ee ee ee a ee, ae 


HOSPITALITY 459 


My she-camel I shall not yield 

Even if they offer my sweetheart for it. 
We are resolved to die from exhaustion, 
Should our heroes not do as was agreed. 


The singer will not yield his she-camel to the enemy even 
if offered in exchange his sweetheart, who has been refused 
to him by her kinsfolk. Without booty he will not return. 
Should he and his fellow travelers not be met at the ap- 
pointed place by their companions bringing food and water, 
they will not ask these of their enemies but will try to re- 
turn home with the captured camels across the desert. 


Hasabt al-kosrat [sic] tetawwel w-bejti tanib lebejtah 
lejtent cefijjet lesowki kill ma-ltatam habbejtah. 


I thought the friendship would last longer and my tent 
be pitched beside hers. 

O that I were my beloved’s kerchief, for whenever she 
covered her chin with it I should kiss her. 


RECEPTION OF THE TRAVELER 


When the traveler wants to enter a tent as a guest, as 
a rule he approaches from the rear, stopping his camel by 
the side of the men’s quarters. The inhabitants of the tents 
he is passing examine him at leisure, well knowing that he 
is not coming to them, as then he would not ride along the 
fronts of their tents. At the same time the people in the 
tents whose backs are turned to the rider take stock of him 
through every gap, women as well as men. They all are in- 
terested to learn who he is and where he will dismount. But 
when he is near the end of the camp, men come out running 
from many tents, seize his animal by the rein, and try to 
lead it to their tents, quarreling among themselves. 

One shouts: “May I lose my right hand if thou wilt not 
dismount at my tent! ‘alezje taldk min jimndi.” 

A second: “May I lose my head! ‘alej7e taladk. min rési.” 

A third: “May I lose the faculty of begetting! ‘alezje 
taldk min mahzemi.” 

Another: “May I lose my wife!’ or “May I lose my gen- 
tility! ‘alejje talak min al-mruwwa.” 


460 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Should the traveler still hesitate, someone will say: “Gira 
on thee! Thou art a magjtir. Thou must come to me. Thou 
shalt not violate my gira, thou shalt not make a perjurer of 
me, la tekta® girati.” To adjure anybody by the word gira 
is a proof of the greatest earnestness and determination. A 
magjur is one so adjured. To persist in refusal after this 
word has been used would be a direct insult to the person 
giving the invitation. 

A traveler well supplied with food and wishing a night’s 
rest usually declares that he does not desire to be a guest, 
but merely a neighbor. and encamps by the side of one of 
the last tents. The owner of that tent then becomes both 
neighbor and protector of the traveler, helping him to un- 
load, bringing him fuel and curdled milk, supping and sleep- 
ing with him, and in the morning helping him to load again. 

However, when the stranger desires hospitality, he will 
turn to the side of the tent he has chosen and stop at the 
men’s compartment. Nobody will leave the tent, for everybody 
inside is watching the arrival through the gaps between the 
tent walls. Common decency requires that the stranger should 
have time to put his dress in order and to exchange a few 
words with his companions and guide. He also keeps his 
arms with him. At last a slave or servant comes out of the 
tent, seizes the newcomer’s baggage, fetters his camel’s left 
foreleg, and loosens her girth. It is not considered correct for 
the guest to enter the tent at once; he should stay a while 
with his animal, so that the slaves or servants can make 
room for him. The women pick out the best rugs, quilted 
bedcovers, and pillows and hand them to the slaves, who 
in the meantime have swept out the men’s compartment and 
arranged a seat for the guest. 

A prominent guest will be met before the tent by the 
host accompanied by all his sons and by all present at that 
particular time. The host and the guest will then lay their 
hands on each other’s shoulders and kiss each other on both 
cheeks, jetahdbebtin. Nobody remains seated, jekumin bwag- 
heh. If it is said of a man that everybody will rise when he 
comes, kill al-gelise tekiim bwagheh, it means that he is a 
man universally esteemed. The guest greets all those present 
with the words: “As-salam ‘alejkom,” to which they return: 
“W-alejkom as-saldm.” 


HOSPITALITY A461 


The newcomer must salute first, as-saldm ‘ala-l-ga7. Then 
he removes his shoes and takes the seat reserved for him by 
the host. While he sits supporting himself with his left hand 
on the pillow or camel saddle and holding his guiding stick 
in the right, all present, with the host at their head, salute 
him. If he happens to know somebody there. he salutes him 
as follows: 

“Be strong, O So-and-So! kaww flan,” the answer of the 
man thus honored being: 

“Welcome to us! 74 hala.” 

If he does not know anybody or wishes to shorten the 
ceremony, the guest himself exclaims: 

“T wish strength to all present, whatsoever be their 
names; kaww killen bismeh.” 

A common Bedouin will fetter his camel and loosen the 
saddle himself, then take his saddlebag, enter the tent, salute, 
and sit down where he pleases or where there is room. If of 
modest disposition he pushes his way to the back. The host, 
on the other hand, either when the guest is known to him 
or when he wishes to talk with him, ealls out: 

“Come nearer! fut gaj,” to which the guest replies: 

“| My place] is pleasant, I like it, zén gdjezen life.” 

If an acquaintance approaches the tent, its owner shouts 
to him from afar: “May Allah preserve this man! hajj alléh 
har-rag gal.” 

The guest, stillin the saddle, answers: “May Allah preserve 
thy family and thyself, too, for wishing me a long life! allah 
jehajji nabak w-al-muhajyji.” 

When in the tent the host inquires of his guest: “How 
fare those that are behind thee [thy family]? éejf min warék.” 

The guest repays this civility with: ‘‘There is success with 
them, O thou with whom success is a possession! behejr 74 
mal al-hejr.”’ Or else he says merely: “I wish thee success.” 

Then the host repeats his wish: “May Allah give them 
health! ‘asdhom tajjidin,” the guest replying: “They ask for 
nothing but thy health, md jensediin illa ‘an tibak.”’ 

If the newcomer is known to no one present the host 
inquires: “O guest of Allah the Most Gracious, whence dost 
thou hail? Of what Arabs? We do not know thee. Jd zejf ar- 
rahman min én ent min aj7 ‘arab ma henna ‘drefinak.” 

Should the host notice that the guest’s answers are eva- 


462 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Sive or that he contradicts himself, he declares: “By Allah! 
we do not trust thee. Say who knows thee! W-alladh mé henna 
mesaddezinak hat alli ‘drefk.” 

If nobody is found in the camp to vouch for the new- 
comer, he must leave at once, either on foot or on his animal. 
The host fears that he may be a robber who will steal from 
him or his guests at night and then disappear. This caution 
is due to the fact that the host is responsible for any deed 
his guest may commit while on his grounds. | 

A common guest addresses the chief with the title: “O 
thou long living! O thou who art protected from evil! 74 twil 
al-‘omr 74 mhafiz.” | 

Sometimes a guest arrives just when there is no flour, 
wheat, or tummen (a kind of rice) in the tent. The owner 
with his whole family may have been living for weeks on 
milk alone, but the guest must receive something better. In 
such a case the wife goes from tent to tent, begging: “We 
have received a guest and we are out of food. O friends, we 
have nothing to set before him; lend us something so that 
we can do our duty. Henna mezéfir w-enzefna jd rab: w- 
henna-kfarna min at-ta‘dm ekrezowna sien [sic] nesteter beh.” 
The neighbors help her to the best of their ability — one 
lending a little flour, another some tummen or some butter, 
and there are also tents where she is told: “Come to us to- 
day and thou wilt get the supper thou needest for thy guest.” 

If the guest arrives in the forenoon, he gets both dinner 
and supper, rada w-‘asa. The meals are brought either by the 
host himself or his son or are served by a slave, with the host 
urging: “Hasten to thy luck, O guest of the Most Gracious! 
Kat! May Allah preserve thee!” A prominent guest either eats 
alone or invites the host or some chief who is present to eat 
with him. 

A common guest eats with the others, the host, however, 
deciding the order of those who are to sit together. When the 
dish is already surrounded by six or elght persons and the host 
notices one more he wishes to invite, he asks: “If you can find 
a gap between you, invite also So-and-So! en édn ‘endakom 
tenijje Sazzemow flan.” 

“The place is large! Come hither, O So-and-So! al- matrah 
wast’ kum gaj 74 flan.” 

Coughing or sneezing during the meal is to be avoided. 
He who has finished eating licks his fingers clean, drops his 


HOSPITALITY 463 


hand on his knees, and waits for the others to finish. The 
host urges him to eat and also bids the others to remain at 
the dish and keep on eating, but they answer: 

“Thou hast not restricted us. May Allah increase thy 
welfare! Ma kassart allah jecatter hejrak,” to which the host 
replies: “I wish you good digestion and much success! hana’ 
w-awafr.” 

The guests: “May Allah preserve thee for more success! 
mehajjiik allah ‘ala-l-mejsir.”’ 

The host: “[And may he preserve you] to success and 
booty! mezsuren rdnemen.” Or: “May Allah preserve you from 
the moment you leave us to the moment you reach your homes! 
allah mehajjikom min jowm masejtom elja mé lafejtom.” 

The guests: “And may Allah expand thy heart with joy! 
w-bak rahhab allah.” 

If any one rides past the tent where the guests happen 
to be eating, the host calls to him: “O youth, direct thy steps 
hither! The food lies before thee! ja walad entah gaj az-zdd 
bwaghak.” 

An invitation of this kind is considered by the rider as 
a favorable sign that he will succeed in what he’has set out 
to accomplish. Therefore he does not stop but merely an- 
swers: “I am not inclined to eat!” 

The host: “But think of thy welfare!” 

He answers: “May Allah increase thy welfare” and rides 
on joyfully. 

A host who has killed an animal for his guest draws with 
its blood a long mark on both sides of the neck of the guest’s 
camel. 

When a guest of importance arrives at a Rwala camp, 
he takes lodgings with his closest acquaintance, where he also 
sups the first night and accepts invitations from others for 
the days following. This custom is called dawrij7e. It is not 
done to spare the host but to honor the guest — for the host 
could be compensated for his outlay in some other way, if 
necessary. 

A guest should not change his host without good reason. 
Should he think that he is a burden to his host or that he 
is neglected, killet hefle, and make a complaint to the host, 
he might be told: “Then be off and look for another host!” 
This, however, happens very seldom, even if the guest should 
stay in the tent five or six days at a stretch. 


464 RWALA BEDOUINS 


DURATION OF HOSPITALITY AND DEPARTURE 
OF GUESTS 


The usual or proper hospitality extends to three days and 
a third of the fourth day. The first day should be devoted 
to salutations, salam, the second to entertainment, ta‘dm, and 
the third to discussion, kaldm. The third of the fourth day 
is counted as lasting from sunset to the appearance of the 
morning star. Between this time and sunrise is the correct 
time for the guest to depart. But he who prepares to leave 
only after the dew has evaporated on the fourth day, causes 
his host a good deal of annoyance, for the latter probably wants 
to begin the day’s march to a new camp site or has to watch ~ 
his camels while their herdsman is eating his breakfast; hence 
the proverb: “A spotted snake and a guest who either comes 
or leaves when the dew has gone are esteemed alike! al-hajje 
ar-rakta’ walla-z-zejf al-mezhi.” 

If the guest, on the third day of his stay, inquires which 
way to take, the host describes it in detail as if he had to 
ride at night time: “If ye start at midnight when it is com- 
pletely dark, go through that defile yonder, elja gahamtom 
edrebow ma° haddk ar-ri.”” With the Harb tribe alone can the 
guest leave the tent at any time he likes. Hence the saying: 
“Whether we leave early in the morning, or when the dew 
passes, or at noon, in the Harb territory we shall find a road 
anywhere! elja sbahna wa-stebahna w-elja’? zahhejna w-tarad- 
dejna didr hrib killha drib.” 

For three and a third days the host will protect his guest 
and vouch for him while in his tent. Should he steal any- 
thing, the host must give compensation. After his departure 
the guest remains three and a third days more under the 
protection or before the countenance of his late host, who 
will protect him against his fellow tribesmen even to the 
distance of 150 kilometers. In case the guest is robbed in 
that time, he returns to his recent host, explains what has 
happened to him, and the latter, summoning his whole kin, 
says to them: 

“So-and-So was our guest. Our salt and our food are 
still in his belly, and yet he was wronged by our fellow tribes- 
men. Flan gdfana w-melhana w-zddana bebatneh w-natal min 
gemdatna.” For it is the duty of the host’s kin to assist him 
in recovering all that his guest has been robbed of. 


HOSPITALITY 465 


When, before the expiration of the three and a third 
days allotted to the guest’s protection, he finds hospitality in 
one or even two other tents, the first host’s duty to protect 
him, ‘eddet al-wagh, is by no means ended. Should any wrong 
be done to him, he first goes to the one of his hosts whom 
he believes to have the least power. If the latter knows that 
the accused man holds a stronger position than he with all 
his kin he says: 

“T could do nothing against them. Hasten to thine other 
host; his saber will reach them all. Hadowla-na mé akwa’ 
‘alejhom enhag ila? mu‘zebk rejri sejfeh tajel ‘ala-l-gami*.” 

But if the guest has only one host, who is not very power- 
ful, whilst his violator is a member of a powerful kin, the 
host with all his kin will conduct the guest to a prominent 
chief, put himself under his protection, and in this manner ful- 
fill his obligation. No chief would think of refusing to protect 
aman So situated, since it is the duty of the strong to protect 
the weak, or, as is said in the desert: “The big horses protect 
the small ones, twal al-hejl tehmi ksdraha,” or again: “The 
weak seeks the protection of the strong, and no one that is 
weak must be injured, as long as there is a strong man among 
men; azg-za%if jelud bel-kwi w-la jezdm za%tf w-ben-nds kawi.” 

When a guest is found killed, the person finding him re- 
ports it to the host with whom he stayed in the last three 
and a third days, who is then bound to make a search for 
the murderer. If it is proved that the deed was committed 
by a fellow tribesman of the host, the latter will compel him 
to pay the blood price. If the murderer was a stranger, the 
host will simply send word to his relatives: “Your brother 
was killed by So-and-So.”’ 

After sunrise of the fourth day the host’s duty of pro- 
tection terminates, and he himself may then attack and rob 
his departed guest. 


POEMS RELATING TO GUESTS AND HOSPITALITY 


A Rwejli of generous disposition likes to receive guests. 
They will tell him all kinds of news, praise his generosity in 
other camps, and furnish him with the opportunity of show- 
ing his power should anything befall them. There are poems 
giving evidence of this. 


466 RWALA BEDOUINS 


1. Tara-l-hawi w-az-zejf w-at-tdlet al-gdr 
mitl as-sala? ma bén farzen w-sunna 

2. ‘ajben ‘alejna zejfena talhakeh an-ndr 
wa-jmdnana lesjufen janhazenna 

5. elja ‘atejna-z-zejf ma zall beha kar 
nak‘od ‘an zén al-mebdni b‘enna. 


1. Behold, a companion on the road, a guest, and thirdly 
a neighbor 
Like a prayer are protected by Allah’s law and tradition. 
2. Ours the shame if a shot should hit our guest 
As long as our right arms can lift our swords. 
3. If we yield our guest, no work is left in our land for us, 
We shall then sit behind a heap of branches instead of 
in a fine tent. 


The poet is unknown. Judging from the first verse, where 
theological rules and traditions are mentioned, he was either 
a settler or semi-felladh. The reciters were Hmar abu ‘Awwad 
and Mindil al-Kat‘%. 

Verse 3. He who yields his guest to the enemy loses his 
honor and must as an outcast leave both his tent and his kin. 
No tribe will adopt him. If he will not leave the desert for 
the settled territory he must wander about as a hunter or 
robber. Lacking a tent he must shelter himself in bad weather 
behind tree branches heaped up in a semicircle. There he lights 
a fire by which he sleeps. A camp made in this manner is 
called ‘enna. 


1. Low zak sadri kilt hottti geddmir 
w-awzed nari mitl nér al-hardbe 
2. tumm ahtaref w-agib ‘owg al-mendzir 
w-ahotthen ‘ala gamren ‘akdb eltihabeh 
3. edlal tarka ‘ala hami al-cir 
tidlez cema silk al-harir en saba beh 
4. elja gann ma‘ al-hall as-Semdli da‘dtir 
malzum bel-jimna nhanni ar-rekdbe 
dD. w-en sdna‘at nahott éabsen ma‘ al-mir 
w-en “dzabat jesidd kowlen hala beh. 
1. When in my breast I feel a burden I say: “Throw on logs 
And light a fire big as a war beacon.” [of wood 
2. Then I go out to fetch pots 
And place them on red-hot coals. 


HOSPITALITY A67 


o. From pots standing in the fireplace 
A thin stream of coffee flows like a silk thread wind- 
ing. on a reel. 
4. If travelers come to us by the northern path 
We must daub the necks of their riding camels with blood. 
5. And if [this world] allows, we shall offer a wether 
with boiled wheat; 
If not, then the word ‘welcome’ will take its place. 


The poet was Eben ‘Abejée, mayor of the settlement Kna’, 
lying on the road leading through the Nefid from Syria to 
Negd. The reciters were Mhammad al-Kazib, Gwad al-‘Ani, 
and Hmar abu ‘Awwad. 

Verse 1. Zdk sadri signifies a gloomy mood, depression, 
worry. Geddmir are thick logs of wood cut from palm stems, 
etel or raza. Hmar pronounced this consistently Zetamir. 2. ‘Owg 
al-mendzir are coffeepots with long, crooked spouts. 3. Cir 
is a blacksmith’s red-hot forge, a heap of red-hot coal. The 
word jidlez is used when speaking of a boy whose urine flows 
in a long, thin stream. 4. Hall is a path or trail over sandy 
ground. 5. Mir is the same as the Rwejli ‘e7s, boiled crushed 
wheat covered with meat. In the Ne&d settlements, as with 
the Bedouins in general, wheat is quite a rarity, as it has to 
be brought all the way from Syria or Irak. If there is no 
grain, there is neither ‘e7S nor bread, and the guest must be 
content with dates, meat, milk, and kind words. 


1. Ja klejb subb an-ndr 7a klejb subbah 
‘alejk Sabbah w-al-hatab jigabi 

2. “alejj-ant taklit hejlah w-habbah 
w-alejk taklit ad-dlal al-‘edabi 

do. W-kallet leha min gazel rimten behabba 
w-ehmes elja? ndmat ‘ajin al-ehdabi 

4. buigren jenabbi tali-l-lejl nabba’ 
w-en endakk tara tekel diben jenabi 

5. ‘asa-lya sabbejtha wa-slahab bah 
tegdeb lena 7a klejb sirdten rijgabi 

6. w-en Zdza° al-masbi hatwa-l-glebba 
w-helw takk ‘asigehom birzabi 

7. al-wdlme ja klejb lirab’ subbah 
w-ar-rizek ‘end-alli jenassi-s-sahabi 

8. bnisrigjeten ja klejb salfen mahabbah 
mucatfin w-sowkehom bel-‘azabi 


468 


pael 


ye 


D. 


10. 


1 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


9. bsazwijjeten ja klejb salfen mahabba 
w-en habb nisnasen tekel samm débi 
10. ehreg lehom jd klejb herg al-mahabba 
w-low gannab at-tine mutin al-‘aladbi 

11. sawadlfen ahla min sSahdlil gubba 
w-asfa min as-semn al-gedid al-ardbi 

12. w-cam ¢abs musléhen lirdseh nedubbah 
w-min mazgrab as-sitin nuhanni-r-rzdbi 

13. w-kalben nustih mad masa? bel-musabba 
w-low hak al-agwdd ahti-l-hald bi 

14. w-as-Sejh w-ar-rdi bdarb al-muhabba 
w-al-halk ‘end allah killehom bihsdbi 

15. azg-zejf zejf allah w-ld bhom musabba 
w-al-hazer nimeddeh ‘an al-‘adabi. 


O Klejb, light the fire, O Klejb, light it! 

To light it is thy duty; the fuel will be brought. 

To prepare cardamom and coffee beans is my duty, 
Thine to have the tarnished pots ready. 

Lay upon the fire more fuel, rimt with bark, [ asleep. 
And do the roasting as soon as my long-lashed eyes fall 


. The mortar’s voice will be heard at the night’s end, 


And a rap on its brim will sound like the howl of a wolf. 


. Mayest thou, when thou lightest the fire and its flame 


flares up, 
Mayest thou, O Klejb, bring us night pugrims from far 
away, 


. While a coward presses under him a disobedient wife. 


Oh, how pleasant is their sticks’. tap, tap, on the she- 
camel’s neck! 


. What is left from yesterday, O Klejb, serve to the 


common visitors, 
For our gain is in them only who do chase the clouds 


. In a dry, icy wind, O Klejb, that blows piercingly. 


With hands folded they sit and urge only with heels 


. In a pouring rain with a sharp gale, 


Or again in a light, moist breeze like snake poison. 

To them, O Klejb, speak the language of love, 

Even if into my mud hut a proud, stiff-necked man 
has come. 

Tell them what is sweeter than dates on twigs from Gubba 

And purer than melted butter bought of Arabs. 


HOSPITALITY 469 


12. Oh, how many fat wethers’ heads have we thrown away 
And besmeared the necks of she-camels from the wound 
made by the knife. 
13. A pure heart seeks no gossip, 
And should those heroes refuse to salute me (I shall 
salute them). 
14. For both the chief and the herdsman should walk the 
path of love, 
As Allah keeps the account of each being. 
15. A guest is Allah’s guest and must not be insulted, 
And this one we shall protect against wrong. 


The composer of this poem, Drejjem az-Zulmawi, lived in 
the settlement of Kna’ and was famous for his hospitality. 
Whoever traveled from Hajel to Damascus or from Syria to 
the Sammar or Kusman territory stopped with him. Once, in 
a cold and rainy night, a band returning from a raid reached 
his abode and knocked on the door of his mud hut. He in- 
stantly awakened his servant and ordered him to prepare 
supper for the guests, many of whom had not before even 
saluted him. The reciter was Fhejd, a camel herdsman, native 
of Kna’. 

Verse 4. When pounding coffee, the pestle is first beaten 
against the center of the mortar on the coffee beans, then 
on its brim, and is tapped two or three times to shake off 
the coffee sticking to the pestle and the brim; this sound is 
much like the deep howl of the wolf. 6. Masbu° is a man 
afraid to go out on a raid, preferring to stay at home near 
his wife. Glebba is a woman who has not married for love 
but has been bought by her husband. She cannot run away 
from him because her kinsfolk would have to return what 
they got for her, and the husband will not divorce her, hat- 
ing to lose what she has cost him. She shows dissatisfaction 
by everlasting opposition and quarreling, especially when she 
finds her husband to be a coward. Takk ‘asigehom is the 
tapping with sticks on the she-camels’ necks to make them 
kneel on the ground before a tent or house, where the riders 
are to be guests. 7. It is for the guests that fresh coffee is 
made, whereas the other visitors who were attracted by the 
beating of the pestle in the mortar must be content with 
yesterday’s warmed-up coffee. A sahdba is a dark low cloud, 
through which the rider has to pass, inhaling its moist smell 


A70 RWALA BEDOUINS 


the while. The sahdba is always followed by rain. 8. Nisrijje 
is a dry, icy wind of high velocity, a gale. When caught in 
it, the rider places his right hand in his left and his left 
hand in his right sleeve, pressing them to his breast to keep 
his cloak from being opened by the wind and urging his ani- 
mal on with heels only. 9. He sits in the same posture when 
a heavy rain, accompanied by a piercing wind, beats against 
his face. Nisnds is a light, moist wind which cuts the face 
and penetrates the clothes to the bones. 10. Mutin al-‘alabi 
is one who, disliking to bend his neck or to salute, is full of 
conceit. Af-fine or bejt at-tine is a hut built of large un- 
baked bricks. 11. Sahdlil are the single date-covered twigs of 
the date bunch, called genw. The settlement of Gubba lies 
north-northwest of Kna’ in the Neffid. 12. The host paints on 
both sides of the necks of the she-camels belonging to his 
guests a thick line with the blood of the animal which he 
has killed for them. Men seeing these marks ask the host’s 
name, and thus his praise extends to all parts. The head of 
an animal is never set before the guests but given to the 
poor. 


CHAP PER XIX 
PERSONAL QUALITIES 


A chief who is commonly spoken of as a sdheb al-mar- 
gala stands in high esteem among the Rwala. Such a one 
has a brave, strong heart, kalbeh kawi; knows how to wrestle 
with the greatest danger, ma‘eh fetel; has a broad outlook, 
ma‘eh ‘erf; thinks of the future, softeh ba%ide; and never acts 
hastily, leh sabr. He who is merely a daring fighter, sdheb 
al-farse, is not fit to be either a chief or a leader in time 
of war. He, too, has a strong heart but lacks calm consider- 
ation, ma leh sabr, therefore he throws himself into danger 
recklessly, unmindful of victory or death; girmi hdleh 7a jiktel 
zebileh jd jinkatel. 

But the most popular among the chiefs is the sdheb al- 
mruwwa. He is kind, kerim; truthful, habib allah; disregards 
trifles, sahi; and knows no distinction between great and small. 
Of such the proverb says: “A wolf does not suffer hunger 
with him, neither do his sheep perish; l@ jigiu’ ad-dib w-ld 
tifna-l-ranam.” As examples of such a sdheb al-mruwwa 
Kuftan eben Hamed of the Beni Sahr and Hager eben Meg- 
wel of the Rwala were named to me. 

A generous man is universally esteemed, as he is often 
visited by guests who then carry his fame far and wide. They 
say that it is easy for a wealthy man to be generous, because 
the word generosity is derived from what a man possesses, 
al-gid min al-mawgtd. According to others generosity must 
be inborn. He that does not inherit generosity from his parents 
will always be a miser, even if he has more wealth than he 
knows what to do with, al-gud min al-gdud. 

As-Ssime is among the most prominent qualities of a fa- 
mous man. It is but rarely found, and the man possessing 
it excels all others in the same way as the head projects 
above the body. He who has as-sime will not always insist 
on his rights, gladly yielding to one weaker than himself and 
sometimes giving up his claim to a thing which clearly belongs 
to him. Jetagsajjam ‘an as-8i means “he gave up a thing,” or 
“he did not take a thing although evidently his.” Without 
as-Sime no ra‘ al-mruwwa is perfect. 

ATI 


AT2 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Seemly behavior is esteemed by the Rwala. The proverb: 
“Ar-ragol ja‘ref metabbeh, a true man knows how to behave,” 
is frequently heard. The meaning of the word ragol is very 
similar to that of the word ddemi, which either signifies all 
men as the sons of Adam or well mannered men of pleasant 
behavior. The word raggdl is used in connection with a man 
who excels by prudence and bravery, thus: “Met*eb raggal, 
Met‘eb, that is a man!” A raggdl jeswa ‘orbdn is a man as 
good as many Arab clans put together: “W-allah hw raggdlen 
mlih, by Allah, he is a hero!” It is also said: “Ar-regal ma hi 
killeha raggal biha ragol w-raggal wa-rgégil w-reggaregga; 
not all men are heroes; there are among them true men, heroes, 
helpers of women, and chatterers.” Here rgégil, or regégil, 
implies that, although having a moustache, swareb, he occupies 
himself rather with things that belong to women. Reggaregga 
or regregga is a coward who babbles like a woman. Regal 
often signifies brave men. A woman attacked by robbers 
shouts: “Jdekom tdekom warajt regal; your hands, your hands 
[they must not take anything from me], there are brave men 
behind me!” The men of some families have the reputation: 
“W-allah hom regdlen zénin mazbitin, by Allah, they are true 
men!” Ragagil means men regardless of their qualities. Up 
to ten the plural regal or ragdagil is used; for a larger number 
zelm. “Jammakom ja zelm, stand still, ye men!” Zlema is an 
unknown man. Azldm is another expression for a number of 
men not exceeding ten, but usually the words zelm or zilm 
are used as the plural. 

Noble qualities are inherited; therefore every Rwejli aims 
at winning a wife from an old and honorable family. It is 
often said of a noble but otherwise unknown man: “Hw min 
dlen “ati mad hw min hajallah nds; he comes of an old family, 
then surely not of riffraff.” 


“Arreb wulejdak ‘arrebeh 
w-an-nar min mizbaseha 
w-al-‘ezz beurtik an-nisa? 
alli ‘ariben asdseha. 


By every means try to beget a thoroughbred son, 
For as the fire depends on its foundation 

So nobility is in the veins of women 

Who are of pure blood descended. 


PERSONAL QUALITIES AT3 


‘Arib signifies the same as asil, pure-blooded, well-born, 
noble. Whoever desires a thoroughbred son must beget him 
by a woman descended of a good family. The man resembles 
a fire, the woman a foundation. When a fire is lighted by 
a woman in a tent, the women from other tents send their 
daughters or servant girls to fetch fire from her. Each of 
these girl twists a wisp of dry sth, raza’, or rta, grasps the 
red-hot coal in her hand, puts it into the wisp, and swings 
this in the air till it ignites. If the foundation, in this case 
the wisp, mizbds, be not dry, no amount of swinging will 
make the red coal burst into flame. ‘#zz means good qualities, 
bravery in particular. ‘Ezz proceeds from the veins of a woman. 
Asds or nasab expresses the woman’s origin. The daughter 
of a worthless, pusillanimous father will not have ‘ezz, no- 
bility, in her veins; therefore it cannot be expected in her 
son, even if begotten by the bravest of men. 

Criminal intercourse with animals is almost unknown 
among the Rwala, as is that of one man with another, the 
penalty in this case being the death of the violator or of 
both. In the Kmusa division a negro, who came there from 
Eben RasSid’s army, violated a small boy far from the tents. 
On the boy’s complaint, his kin ran to catch the slave who 
made his escape. They would certainly have killed him. 


POEMS DEPICTING QUALITIES AND DEEDS OF MEN 
Vigilance and Energy 


1. Jd-llah talabtak ja serv al-matdabe 
teftah lena bab al-farag bel-mefatih 

2. talbet ‘obejden ‘enda rabbeh w-tabeh 
ja hdlezen rizk al-arab w-al-falalih 

3. an-nowm sds al-lowm bdn ar-reda’ beh 
w-ajnen tebi-t-towldt nowmeh Sseldafih 

A. alli jirid al-medeh jit'ab recdbeh 
w-ar-rizk betul al-hata 7da-hla-l-fih 

5. giduk ‘ajrat an-neza’ beakdbeh 
w-ad-daww jiktacenneh ‘aséren beterwih 

6. ma fowkha illa’ zirbeten ma° zahdbeh 
w-sefajefen tabrah lown al-maldwih 


ATA RWALA BEDOUINS 


7. tardrow al-merkab mitl ad-dijdbe 
wa-tkabalow mitl al-hardr al-mefalih 

8. w-kamat genub al-bel tsallel hardbeh 
w-kalow ganabha “dsezin at-tamdmih 

9. cam waheden bel-kown je‘ser suwabeh 
min ¢aff kowhan al-ajtin ad-duwadbth. 


1. O Allah! I beg of thee, who art quick of hearing, 
To open for us with thy keys the gate of freedom; 
2. It is the prayer of a servant to his master who will hear 
him, 
O thou creator of wealth for those who live in tents 
as well as in houses! 
. Sleep is the cause of reproof, for it reflects evil, 
While the sleep of an eye that longs for power is but 
short. 
4. He that would have praise must tire his riding camels, 
For the booty depends on the long pace, O ye owners 
of fine camels! 
5. With his heels he tears the skin of the riding animals, 
Which must run over the wide plain, if they would arrive 
in the evening. 
6. All he carries is a water bag, food for the journey, 
And long fancy ribbons, streaming after him like the 
cloth with which the falcon is coaxed. 
7. In full gallop with his comrades he rode up a high hill 
like a pack of wolves, 
And they threw themselves upon the foe like well-born 
warriors meeting success. 
8. But the camel guards resisted, brandishing their spears, 
So that they said: “They are protected by the gallants 
of women displeased with their husband.” 
9. How many are pressing their hands to their wounds 
Dealt by the hand of him who (when aiming) half closes 
his death-dealing eyes! 


ew) 


The author of this poem was an unknown Sarari:; it was 
recited to me by Trad eben Sattam. 

Verse 1. Bab al-farag is a gate leading to spacious regions 
where the Bedouin is not threatened with danger. 2. Al-‘arab live 
in tents, al-faldlih in houses. Whenever the fellahin, or towns- 
men of some of the border settlements, leave for their herds 
and settle in tents, they are at once spoken of as ‘arab. 3. An- 


PERSONAL QUALITIES AT5 


nowm sds al-lowm, sleep is the cause of reproofs, because 
at night, when the guards are fast asleep, the activities of 
the Bedouin’s enemies, whether men or beasts, are most suc- 
cessful. He that keeps awake can prevent evil. Seldfih implies 
the lack of a certain thing; thus, “Waredna hal-mokr sakweh 
Seldfih” means “We wanted to water in this rock cistern, but 
there is little water there.” 4. Ar-rizk betil al-hata’; he whose 
pace is longer will win more, can go farther. Fih (sing., 
feyjha) are good-tempered, enduring she-camels. The rider 
of such will reach distant places where he can get booty more 
easily. 5. Jiduk signifies the continual motion of the rider’s 
two heels, which tear the animal’s hide by constantly rubbing 
against it. “Ajrdt an-neza? are she-camels used for raids to 
distant places. A raiding troop cannot spend the night in a 
large plain surrounded by mountains, ad-daww, for it is im- 
possible to build a fire there; it would be seen far around. 
The she-camels must, therefore, exert their whole strength 
to cross such a plain as quickly as possible in order to reach 
a region with deep, hidden gullies before sunset. 6. Behind 
the camel saddle the Bedouins fasten one or two pairs of 
many-colored ribbons, sefdjef, which, fluttering with every 
step the she-camel makes, are seen now far behind the animal, 
now high above or below it. The waving of the ends of these 
ribbons reminds the onlooker of the motions the falconer 
makes with a piece of cloth when he wants to coax a falcon 
to return to him. These cloth pieces, maldwih, also float out, 
to vanish the next moment, according to the motions made 
by the falconer. 8. The guard watching the camels is called 
ganab. For this duty the bravest youths, as a rule, are selected, 
objects of warm desire on the part of many a married woman 
dissatisfied with her easy-going, often cowardly husband. 
A woman of this sort is known as tamth. She would not 
bear sons resembling their father. 9. Akwah al-‘ajn, means 
“Ta good marksman] half closed his eye.” Such eyes send out 
sure death, for they are duwdbih, killers. 


Seize Opportunity When It Offers 


Elja’ habbat rijdhak hebb ma‘ha 
w-lad budd illa-r-rijah min as-sukiin 
w-en darrat nijdkak w-ehtelebha 
w-lam jidra-l-hwar limin jekun. 


A76 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


When thy good luck arrives, follow it, 

As, of necessity, it soon will end. 

When thy camels drip, milk them, 

For the young knows not whose the milk will be. 


Make full use of your opportunity! A camel will give milk 
only when her young catches hold of her teats with its lips 
and knocks its head against her loins. The young camel thus 
compels its mother to let her milk flow but does not itself 
know whether it will drink, because the man may push it 
away and milk for himself. He often milks three camels 
without the young having had a drink, It frequently happens 
that a man creates an opportunity for himself but is unable 
to utilize it. Push him aside and see what you can do! 


Modesty and Self Reliance 


. Kal rumejzan at-tamimi matdajel 


al-ajjam rums w-lad bihen hejal 


. al-legali mad hallen hada ma éwaneh 


w-la jeslam min low ‘dtihen reggal 


. fattelt lid-dinja hebdlen agerraha 


w-gerratni-d-dinja birejr hebal 


. 7 20°ed bezg-zgell Cann zah zellak 


w-7a Z2a°ed bes-sams gak zeldl 


. min kal ana hejr al-mela’ faleh al-‘ana’ 


w-min kal ana zeymen tuzeymeh regal 


. lad tsir marhds low neset towleh 


w-la tkun heg‘en low bada lak al-hal 
w-la jimteli gibben min at-tell w-an-neda’ 
w-lad jistuwi hergen birejr faal 


. w-ld jenkol al-jankus ragolen hajjer 


w-la tdkol zibdet al-mddab regal 


. w-cam wiheden Zd‘ed ‘ala mal abtih w-geddeh 


w-en zawwaleh rabb al-‘alemin hw zél. 


1. Rumejzan at-Tamimi told these parables: 
Secret are the days and yet not screened with curtains. 
2. The nights do not omit anybody while burning with 


an iron red-hot, 


And nobody will save himself, however much he may 


try to surpass them. 


PERSONAL QUALITIES ATT 


8. I for myself twisted a rope to pull this world with, 
But, instead, the world pulled me without a rope. 
4. O thou who sittest in the shade! it is as if thy shade 
were gone, 
And over thee who sittest in the sun has fallen a shade. 
5. He that says “I am better than others” is destined for 
torments, 
And he that says “I am violence” will be violated by men. 
6. Become not a long spear, even if thou reachest its 
length, 
But be not downcast, even if the present has treated 
thee mercilessly. 
7. A well cannot be filled with dew or moist fog, 
And a revolt will not be calmed without an effort. 
8. The informer shall not whisper in a noble man’s ear, 
And true men shall not eat lies. 
9. How many are there who rest on the goods of their 
father and grandfather, 
But, if the Lord of this world shall destroy those goods, 
they will perish. 


The poet was Rumejzan at-Tamimi of the Beni Tamim 
tribe, who live in various settlements of Negd; the reciters, 
Prince an-Nari, Hmar abu ‘Awwad, and GwaAd al-‘Ani. 

Verse 1. Jowm signifies a day from sunset to sunset, 
hence the night too. The days are secret, because nobody 
knows how many people were begotten in them, ad-dinja telkah 
w-teled. 2. Grief caused by various troubles does not torment 
so much in the daytime as at night, when the troubled man 
cannot sleep. Cwaneh means that the nights lay on the red- 
hot iron used in curing various diseases. ‘Atihen means put- 
ting oneself above or being offensive to others. 3. Sooner 
will the surroundings spoil a man than a man reform his 
surroundings. 4. A despised person ought to be conscious of 
his condition and should not press into the foreground, while 
he who is famous ought not to forget that the time may 
come when his fame will end. 6. Marhds is the term applied 
to an unusually long spear. No matter how many good qualities 
aman may have, he should not put himself above others and 
wound them with his sarcasms. Heg‘en is one low in spirit, 
downcast, crushed. 7. Gibb is a deep well. Neda’ means the 
dripping moisture which settles on clothing, tents, animals, 


A78 RWALA BEDOUINS 


and plants on cool days. 8. Jankus is said of one who ‘delights in 
quarrels and in setting people against each other by carrying 
gossip and distorting their words. Zibdet al-mdédb, melted 
butter, signifies invented, false stories, or calumnies. Melted 
butter is liked by everybody but cannot be the exclusive food, 
as it would cause death from dysentery; thus it is also with 
false stories. Pleasant to listen to, should the hearers make 
them a foundation for their acts, they would not meet with 
success. 9. He that cannot work, but lives and thrives on the 
sweat and toil of others, must perish as soon as they cease 
to support him. 


Prudence 


1. Al-hadjet bdlak tebni 
illa-s-sds hegdreh kbar 
2. w-al-bajeh hadrak teznih 
damhat al-bawwah ktar 
5. w-al-mar% hadrak terih 
elja? racejt er‘a-n-nwdar. 


1. Beware of building a wall, 
Except when the foundation is of big stones. 

2. Beware of taking an ingrate for thy companion, 
For much trouble he will cause thee. 

3. Of land that has been grazed upon beware; 
If thou desirest to pasture, on blossoms pasture. 


The poet was a settler from the oasis of al-Gowf; the 
reciter, Hmar abu ‘Awwad. 

Verse 1. As the houses in al-Gowf (as in all the settlements 
of inner Arabia) are built comparatively high, their walls must 
have solid foundations. During the fights in which the settlers 
frequently engage among themselves a weak foundation could 
be easily broken through by the enemy, and the wall would 
collapse. For this reason only big boulders are used in foun- 
dations. 2. Al-bdjeh is a man without a heart, md beh kalb, 
devoid of sympathy, gratitude, and even of morals. Whoever 
takes such a man for his companion, hawi, on a long trip 
will suffer more troubles than could be found even in hell. 
3. Al-mar% is either a woman divorced by her husband or 
a widow. Do not marry such a one; rather take a blossom, 
a virgin. 


PERSONAL QUALITIES AT9 


Genuine Bliss Dwells with All True Believers 


1. At-tib ma hw bass ma‘ az-za‘dnina 
muzassem “ala rus al-‘ejal al-mefalih 

2. bejt as-sacar w-alli ka‘ad leh btina 
al-hazar w-al-bedwan min habb leh rih. 


1. Not with those only is bliss found who load tents and 
their fixtures on camels, 

But it is distributed also on the heads of those poor sons 

2. Who live in tents of goat’s hair or in the mud-brick huts, 

On settlers, on Bedouins, and on all on whom the wind 
blows. 


The poet was an unknown orthodox Moslem; the reciter, 
Gwad al-‘Ani. It is a firm belief of the Rwala that honesty 
and, hence, both physical and spiritual welfare are to be found 
with them only. All the settlers from the ruler down to the 
slave are, in their opinion, nothing but hypocrites and full 
of low cunning, who misuse for their own benefit the religion 
as well as the power with which they are entrusted and who 
are a torment alike to the stranger and to themselves. For 
the Bedouins cannot understand why the settlers should be 
so eager to acquire both property and honors. A Bedouin’s 
heart never longs for such vanities, for he knows that he 
may lose his life, the most treasured possession he has. Why, 
then, should he depend on riches and worldly dignities? The 
passionate hunt for wealth is, in the opinion of a Bedouin, 
the root of all the troubles and want of integrity among the 
settlers. Moreover, because the settlers are true Moslems 
while among the Bedouins Islam does not carry conviction, 
the latter consider Islam weak, as it cannot free the settlers 
from their miseries. In the two verses cited above the cor- 
rectness of such Bedouin views is denied by an orthodox 
Moslem, who maintains that genuine bliss dwelis with all true 
believers, mefalih —:that is, with people who live and act in 
accordance with their inner religious convictions. 2. Habb leh 
rih would mean with a Bedouin: “success or luck is blowing 
towards him’; to the settled Moslem it means anyone on whom 
a wind blows or who breathes, hence all men without dis- 
tinction. 


480 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Complaint Against a Knavish Neighbor 


1. Kal al-mhédi w-al-mhadi muhammal 
7a “alleten bis-sadvy md-haden dard bah 

2. en azhartaha banat al-kummejde al-‘eda 
w-en ahfejtaha zad al-hasa? beltehdbah 

3. temen snin w-garna mgarren bina — 
narfah éema tarfa-l-addra’> tejabah 

4. 74 ma-tamna garna min berira 
w-henna-lja barejna-celha mad dard bah 

5d. W-7d ma ‘atejna garna min seldle 
w-ahlafna ‘ala kawwddha md jintend bah 

6. al-agwadd low ‘dsartahom md temellahom 
w-al-anddl low ‘dsartahom ‘efet mad bah 

7. al-agwad ‘edd w-min wardeh esteka’ 
w-al-andal la jeska’? w-la jensekd bah 

8. al-agwdd kamra’ blejlet ad-dugga 
w-al-anddl zalma? w-tah min sara bah 

9. al-agwdd sandtiiken miséen w-ambar 
lija futtihen bibdnha fah ma bah 

10. al-agwdd mitl ar-rabié al-muhtalef nabteh 
w-al-andal zejza’? teadwa dijdbah. 


1. Thus spoke al-Mhadi and al-Mhadi was shedding tears: 
Alas! the pain in my breast, of which no one knows. 
2. If I should show it, my enemies would know of it 
from the grief on my face; 
If I conceal it, inflamed the torment will grow. 
3. It is eight years now that our neighbor has despoiled us 
And we patch up our wound as the women patch their 
dresses. 
4. How often have we fed our neighbor with dainties! 
But when we ourselves would enjoy a dainty he cared 
nothing. 
5. How many a thoroughbred mare have we given our 
neighbor, 
And yet we had to make him who led it away swear 
not to slander us. 
6. If thou livest with noble men, thou never wouldst be 
surfeited with them, 
But the knaves thou hast met will fill thee with disgust. 


bd 


PERSONAL QUALITIES A81 


7. Noble men are a spring from which he who comes 
may drink, 
But knaves give no drink, nor can one drink with them. 

8. Noble men are like moonlight in a dark night; 

But knaves, they are a dark night in which he goes 
astray who starts on a journey. 
9. Noble men are two chests filled with amber and musk, 

When their lids are opened a pleasant fragrance streams 
out. 

10. Noble men are like the time of abundance with its 
various plants, 

But the knaves— a scorched, stony desert where wolves 
howl at one another. 


The poet was al-Mhadi, a Rwejli of the Frege clan; the 
reciters, Mindil al-Kat‘i and Gwad al-‘Ani. The poet Portola 
of his neighbor, a member of a strange clan who was camp- 
ing with him and under his protection for eight years and 
proved a constant trouble to him. 

Verse 8. Mgarren means literally “he ground us like a 
millstone.”’ Al-MhAdi, desirous of maintaining good relations, 
repaired what his neighbor spoiled. 4. Berira is a dainty pos- 
sessed by nobody else in the camp. Barrejtak biha means “I 
let thee taste dainties.” 5. Seldle is a thoroughbred mare about 
one year old. 


Moral Precepts 


1. Elfen w-wallef w-hala ma lahh 
bujtiten biha lil-fahemin arbahi 
2. banejt bkafhen w-a'gebenni 
w-enbéh md bis-sadr tumm enbahi 
3. tara kutr celamak jimlehak 
as-sumt ‘azz ld tkhun Senahi 
4. tabdt al-‘elem mizdan al-feta’ 
tara-l-feta low zall ‘elmeh rahi 
5. gamm as-serr béndt al-mela’ 
la tgurrti bénahom melwahi 
6. elja’? hull al-kza’ min “azel 
efsel w-otrok kdlaten bislahi 
7. hijér an-nds ragolen fahem 
bosr al-ma‘dni menhag al-mensahi 


A482 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


. dell an-nafs ‘an wahmdtaha 


tara-l-wahmdt tekatter al-asnahi 


. tadlil al-adw ma‘azze 


la theff ma‘ al-adw jinsdhi 


. ridse hije hijér al-mergele 


w-al-lejt ma jintah birejr slahi 


. zemanak low ‘asa tawa’ ma‘a’ 


esber w-sabrak lil-farag miftéhi 


. saddak la tbiheh lan-nisa’ 


tesbeh cema makstimt al-gendhi 


. Sowrak ld sifdhet rdsak 


tara hw aswa lak min an-naséhi 


. sdheb ashab abtik w-geddak 


w-bazi-l-mela’ jarzik minhom sfahi 


. geddak low zahak ezhak ma‘eh 


eeVa 


. talbet hagten maghile 


hassa-lja sdrat ma‘ al-ashéhi 


. zujufak elja-lfaw rahheb behom 


atlez hegagak hejr zadak réhi 


. al-ajn ‘edd as-sidz la trdwi beh 


low hw ‘ala-sdak siddiz enséhi 


. rannem limin lafa’ lak ‘éni 


tara’ jihka’ bak hakwat al-felahi 


. fal al-halk tdlihom fena’ 


maktub ‘alejha bhafezg al-alwéhi 


. katel al-ada? la thébahom 


sajur ma ja lak w-bjadeh slahi 


. kuff as-Serr ‘an ba‘az al-mela’ 


tara-l-mesajer jiret al-aslahi 


. lumm al-hazz la t'ani-l-feta’ 


tara-l-feta’ low mal hazzeh téhi 


. ma wannejt kabl mé trarak 


kis al-mehdzga w-e'ref al-misbaéhi 


. niqjatk alladi bsadrak 


tesri w-hi tekzob lak al-mesbahi 


. we wagdi ‘ala kill min sala? 


tar al-adw w-enratar w-hw séhi 


. low haddejt balak tenteni 
w-as-sejf mahni lil-adw miftéhi. 


16. 


WE 


PERSONAL QUALITIES 483 


. As a friend I compose—and how fairly they are by me 


embellished ! — 
Verses from which those can profit who understand. 


. Much labor I took with rhyming them before they 


pleased me, 
But then all my inner self was clearly revealed. 


. Behold! The multitude of thy words makes thee un- 


Silence is a power, yet be not morose. [ popular! 


. The strengthening of a reputation is the scale on which 


the youth is weighed. 
Behold, if a youth falls, his good name is gone. 


. Much evil has spread among the people, 


Thus use no bait for it among them. 


. If a decision of the court: has been refused by a wise man, 


Then better wouldst thou go away and cease uttering 
words of moderation. 


. The best of men is he of understanding, 


For to penetrate the meaning of a thing leads to good 


. Free thy soul from needless worry; [ counsel. 


Behold, trifling cares increase misunderstanding. 


. To humble thine enemy is a proof of strength; 


To the enemy be not lenient, else his insolence grows. 


. To command well in war is the best bravery, 


For even a lion stabs not if without weapons. 


. If thy time has failed to give thee all thou desiredst, 


Be patient, for patience is the key of success. 


. Thy secret plan disclose not to women 


Or thou soon wilt be like a bird with broken wings. 


. Let not thy good advice leave thy head needlessly — 


This will be better for thee than to disclose thine honest 
view. 


. Keep up the friendship with the friends of thy father 


and grandfather, 
And from other people content thyself with a salute. 


. If thine opponent laughs, laugh with him, 


But in yielding let thy heart be like a bare rock. 

The result of a request for what thou needest is uncertain, 
Especially when thou hast to deal with misers. 

When guests arrive, welcome them kindly 

And let thy brows smile even if thy best supplies are gone. 


A484 RWALA BEDOUINS 


18. The eye is a spring, but to a friend it will not give drink, 
Though he be the best of friends to thee. 
19. Share thy booty with the captive who comes to thee, 
For, behold, what he will say of thee will benefit thee. 
20. All creatures are doomed in the end to die, 
For thus it is written with the keeper of the records of 
21. The slayer of the enemies will not run from them _ [fate. 
And will never relent as long as his hand holds a weapon. 
22. Some men thou shouldst compel to abstain from evil! 
Behold, an aggressor often inherits peace. 
23. Guide the desire-—hold not back the youth, 
For, behold, a youth whose desires slacken will be de- 
24, Thou didst not lament before drowning; [ stroyed. 
Survey the ford and learn to swim. 
25. The desire hidden in thy breast 
Will come out on a night’s march and hold a lamp to thee. 
26. Ah, how I grieve for him who has forgotten 
To avenge a wrong and, in affluence resting, remains calm! 
28. When thou hast pacified a man, beware of doing so 
second time, 
For a saber pointed downwards is a key to violence. 


This poem is anonymous. Gwad al-‘Ani’s statement that 
it was written by aS-Serif Barakat was opposed by ‘Awde al- 
Kwechi and Hmar. Prince an-Niri, however, thought its author 
was a Bedouin of one of the tribes encamped on both banks 
of the Euphrates, as the ford mentioned is called mahdza, a 
common word for ford in southern Mesopotamia. An-Niri’s 
opinion seems to be correct, because the consonant d, which 
a sherif from either al-Medina or Mecca would never have 
omitted, is lacking in the poem, and also because the whole 
moral tone is nearer the views of the free Bedouins than the 
exaggerated sanctity of the sherifs. I took it down according 
to the recitation of an-Niri, Hmar, ‘Awde, and Gwad, each 
of whom knew a few verses of the poem but none the whole 
of it. None of them could remember the verse beginning with 
the consonant j@ (27).—The whole poem has 28 verses rhym- 
ing on ahi, and each verse begins with a consonant in the order 
of the Arabic alphabet, excepting the sixth, ninth, eighteenth, 
and twenty-eighth verses, in which the second or third syllable 
begins with the appropriate consonant. The first two verses ex- 
cepted, each of the others conveys some moral precept for life. 


PERSONAL QUALITIES A85 


Verse 1. Bejt means the whole verse, kdf its second half 
and then, specifically, the rhyme of this second half. 3. Sendh 
is aman of morose disposition, who will neither talk nor smile. 
4. “Klem signifies a report circulating in regard to a man. If 
such a report is consistent it is considered unshakable. A good 
report must be that, otherwise a man would fall in the public 
esteem. 5. Melwdah is the decoy swung by a falconer when try- 
ing to lure a falcon towards him, lawwah ‘ala-t-tejr. When 
a man breaks off a twig of the luxuriant rute and shows it 
to a riding camel, he coaxes her to come near, lawwah ‘ala-d- 
delul. There are people whose actions lure evil into the tribe, 
regardless of the fact that their fellow tribesmen are al- 
ready suffering. 7. Menhag is a path or trail. 12. The women 
will reveal your secret plan, and you will then be unable to 
realize it. Sadd means, in particular, the planning of a great 
raid against a certain enemy. The men taking part in it do 
_ not themselves know accurately either the time of their de- 
parture or the enemy they are to attack. Should the com- 
mander’s wife learn of it she would undoubtedly tell it to 
some of her friends, and the enemy would receive warning 
even before the raiders started. 18. When you have a good 
friend, share your last.drop of water with him. Do not con- 
found words with deeds. Al-‘ajn means both a spring and an 
eye. ‘Edd is the name of a well with spring water which 
never dries up. 22. Violence, force, often leads to peace sooner 
than mildness. 23. Hazz signifies a passionate desire for some- 
thing. Out of a youth filled with such a strenuous desire an 
exemplary being can be formed by a man of good sense. 
25. Nwje is a plan, intention, desire, which robs a man of 
sleep, drives him to undertake night marches, and lights him 
on his way. 26. E’'nratar is said of a man who likes to eat 
well and to amuse himself with women. 28. The appeased 
man has not laid aside his saber; he has only dropped its 
point and could, if angered again, strike at him who had 
just appeased him. 


1. ‘“Endi fetawi lil-fahim al-fahem 
jarmi bkalb al-rafelin ahéa’ 

2. al-‘afen low ta‘tih mal heset killeh 
ma jaskor fazlak w-la jarodd tana’ 

3. helw eljw gak ma‘tdz haga 
w-afen elja’? lakka-l-‘amil kafa’ 


486 


1; 


10. 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


A. as-Sejh sammdat Zelil harga 
mlezzi hdjeradt al-elum kafa’ 
. elja “dd ma jezhak w-jarhi bdleh 
zelil alli min al-mahlik tela’ 
6. as-Se7h ma jahkom min din gemaa 
w-as-sejf ma jinhaz be‘asa’ 
7. w-al-gibb mad jemlah tall an-neda’ 
w-al-“esb ma dcer ndbet besafa’ 
8. ja ndzel as-sa‘nin tesbah rahel 
w-lad jinkaten gaw brejr fela’ 
9. al-hanzala mda teret illa mitlah 
mitl ahad al-aguz bzellat zana’ 
10. ma hw dhedha ‘ala haldlah 
w-la hw terbil rigleteh behasah. 


ON 


I know rules of life which he will understand who com- 
prehends quickly 
And which will guide the hearts of the careless. 


. An egoist, even if thou givest him all thou hast stored up, 


Will not thank thee for thy benevolence and repay thee 
in kind. 


. He is full of sweetness when he comes to thee in need, 


But an egoist he will remain, for when he meets his 
benefactor he will turn his back. 


. A chief should think more and chatter less, 


And be prepared for news which is the reverse of 


. If he does not smile and is not forbearing, [favorable. 


Few creatures there will be who will follow him. 


- A chief without an assembly cannot rule, 


And a saber cannot be parried with a stick. 


. A drop of dew will not fill a well; 


And no one remembers grasses growing on a bare rock. 


. O thou who by a dry well art camping! thou must move, 


And not long will camels tarry at a rich watering place 
if no pasture is near. 


. A colocynth inherits nothing except from its equal, 


Nor does he who has married an old hag unable to bear; 

As to him, he married her only for her property, 

For he is not impotent and he has the power of be- 
getting in his loins. 


The poet was al-‘Aten, a rich Sarari, who in buying 


splendid weapons, beautiful saddles, and the best riding cam- 


PERSONAL QUALITIES A87 


els squandered all his property in a short time, as he did 
not take care of the things he purchased. In his old age he 
sat in a corner of Prince Sattam’s tent and had to be satis- 
fied with eating what was left from the meals there. The 
reciter was ‘Awde al-Kweéébi. 

Verse 2. ‘Afen is an egoist devoid of all virtue. HesSet, 
for hesedt or hesett, thou hast gathered or saved. 5. Elja ‘ad 
has the same meaning as en Cdn enneh, should it happen 
that he. 6. Min din is equivalent to min rejr, without. Without 
the consent of the assembly the chief can do nothing. 7. Gibb 
is a deep well. Tall is the dew or a drop of it. 8. Satin is a 
deep well without water; these are found when there has been 
no rain for three or four years. Jinkaten or jinkettin means: 
“they stay long on the same camping ground.” 10. Terbil is 
a man with a crushed sexual organ. 


Advice to a Friend 


1. Ja dmejm efham waredi bari-wassik 
can ent min alla lil-wasdja-jhafztin 

2. elja’ gak waheden “djelen min dwanik 
escih lalli min al-gemd‘a joarfun 

3. en entaha? hw wudd ‘ajynak wa-mrdzik 
w-en ma-ntaha maak tabb alli-7tlun 

4. azg-zejf la tlezzih menceb ‘alabik 
w-as-somt jowmen en al-megdles jehiztn. 


1. O Dmejm! understand my speech, for I wish to give 
thee the last warning, 

If, of course, thou art one of those who pay attention 
to the last warning. 

2. Shouldst thou meet one of thy fellow tribesmen who 
wrongs thee, 

Complain of him to those who judge the comrades. 

3. If he ceases harming thee, let him be a favorite of 
thine eye and thy friend. 

If he does not cease harming thee, thou carriest with 
thee a cure against those who commit wrong. 

4. To the guest show not thy shoulder blades or nape of 
thy neck, 

And take care not to be rash when the visitors slander 
each other. 


A88 RWALA BEDOUINS 


The poet was Mane‘ eben Durmi, one of the Rwala chiefs; 
the reciter, “Awde al-Kwé¢bi. 

Verse 2. Dwanik means the same as beni al-‘amm, fellow 
tribesmen. 3. Tabb are weapons generally. 


Men are divided according to their qualities and their 
temperament into four categories, taksim ar-regal arba‘ ho- 
sas, as follows: 


Hatt ar-rigel ‘ala-l-kalb He who puts his foot on his heart; 


w-al-jad ‘ala-l-lisén His hand on his tongue; 
w-al-‘ajn ‘ala-l-iden His eye on his ear; : 
w-az-zebb “ala-l-baten. Or, his sexual organ on the belly. 


Many are those who hasten to obtain what their heart 
desires; here the foot obeys the heart. Another will not brook 
an insult; as soon as he hears someone slander him, he seizes 
his arms to punish him. Yet another is unusually cautious; at 
the least rustle he looks sharply at everything around him 
and cannot be deceived or surprised. There are also those who 
care for nothing but to satisfy their carnal desires. 


CHAPTER XxX 
VENGEANCE 


The report of a death or murder causes a stir not only in 
the camp but throughout the clan and even the whole tribe. 
The nearest female relatives of the dead person tear away 
the buckles holding their shirts under the neck, scratch their 
faces with their fingernails, besmear them with ashes and 
sand, cut off their braids above the temples, wind a narrow 
white kerchief, kzaza bézga, around their heads, and run out 
of the camp either south or north into the desert, where 
they cry three times: “Ah, woe is me! O thou father of 
mine! wa? wejla 7a-buj7d.”’ Or: “Ah, woe is me! O thou little 
brother of mine! wa’ wejla jd-hujjd.” The white kerchief they 
wear on their heads for at least a month. This is called kaffal. 

The men of the whole camp run out to the dead body, 
examine the wounds, and discuss the manner of death. Those 
who are not his kin on the father’s side, agnebdanijje, return 
to the camp, watch their tents, send out the news to the 
pasturing grounds and the nearest camps, and take care that 
neither they nor their herds come between the avengers and 
the culprits. 

The guilt rests on the whole kin, ahl, of the murderer; 
vengeance also becomes the duty of the whole kin of the dead 
miani; 


AVENGERS AND PROTECTORS 


The whole kin is bound to mutual protection, both aggres- 
sive and defensive, jetred w-jentared. The more distant rela- 
tives, i.e. those who are in the fourth and later generations 
from the ancestor common to themselves and the culprit, gen- 
erally offer the avengers a two-year-old camel, hezz, and are 
left in peace. 

The avengers are called violators, ahl as-satwa, or those 
who carry on blood feud in defense of the culprits, tallabt ad- 
damm, while the culprits are spoken of as the blood-stained, 
damwijje, dumijje. The avenger proper is generally the nearest 
healthy adult relative of the murdered man; the first culprit 

11 See above, pp. 47—50. 


489 


A90 RWALA BEDOUINS 


is the murderer himself; should he die a natural death in the 
meantime, his next of kin is considered the culprit. However, 
for the first three days after the murder nobody pays the least 
attention either to the avenger or to the perpetrator. These 
three days are called the seething of the blood, fowrt ad-damm, 
or the anger, za‘al, fury, rejz, or madness, kar‘a. The avengers 
ride out on horseback and camels to seek the guilty ones and 
their herds. If they meet a little boy, an adult, or even an 
old man of the culprit’s kin, they kill him; if they meet their 
mares or herds, they cut their arteries below the knees of the 
forelegs, jeazzertinaha, but must not drive them away captive. 

No one of the perpetrators must defend himself, for then 
he would be deserted by his whole clan and even by the whole 
tribe. The defense is to be left to others. Therefore the culprits 
proceed with all haste possible to one of the more powerful 
chiefs to ask his protection. The first one to reach him cries: 

“Behold, we ask Allah and thee to protect the hair of our 
heads from So-and-So, as well as the herds on our borders; ta- 
rana blawbak [bellah w-bak] ‘an al-flan behafadfna w-atrafna.” 

The chief answers: “Welcome to us! May Allah save your 
lives! Ye are saved. Your pursuer has already halted. Ahlan 
w-sahlan hajjakom alléh w-selimtu w-hab tdlebkom.” 

The protector then calls his slaves, servants, and his whole 
kin, hastens to the tents and herds of the guilty kin, loads 
the tents with everything that is in them on camels, carries 
them away, and drives the herds between his own tents. To 
the avenger he ealls out: 

“Behold, your blood shedder has put himself, according to 
ancient custom, under our protection; so beware! tara? dimt- 
kom dahal ‘alejna ‘ala-s-swani al-‘atiza hassekom nafsekom.” 

The avengers then inquire: “Wilt thou let them stay with 
thee a short while only or for several days?” 

“Beware, I tell you, and guard your hands from commit- 
ting violence!’’ 

“We know well, tribesman, that thy protection is power- 
ful, yet thou art not a protector of little girls, ‘anejsi, therefore 
wilt not protect culprits forever, md tezebbenhom ha’.” 

“How many days truce will you grant me?” 

“We will grant thee four [twelve, at the most] days.” 

During the truce the chief loads the guilty men’s tents 
and accompanies them and their herds to another chief. Should 
the avengers refuse to allow the culprits to go with their pro- 


VENGEANCE A91 


tector to another tribe, their fellow-tribesmen will intercede 
in his behalf and compel them to abandon their vengeance 
altogether. For they have blackened the face of the protector 
and exposed themselves in turn to his vengeance. 

In the desert there are.chiefs, the descendants of famous 
kins, whose protection is universally known and respected, or, 
as the saying goes, whose face insures a safe journey, wag- 
hahom mdsi. Such are especially Eben Rubejn of the Fed‘an 
tribe, Eben Gandal of the Rwala, and Eben Tajjar of the Weld 
“Ali. These send only a slave or servant with their protégé, 
whereas others accompany their protégés in person. The pro- 
tector leads the culprits to some chief who is camping in the 
direction in which they are fleeing and hands them over to 
him with the words: 

“Behold, these are shedders of blood. I protected them 
from So-and-So, and now, hear me, I put them under thy 
protection. My duty will now be thy duty.” 

The new protector answers: “May Allah keep both thee 
and them alive! They are saved, and their pursuer will return 
without achieving his object!” 

From here they are conducted by the chief himself to 
another protector and emerge at length from the desert either 
among the Lhejb, who dwell north of the al-Hass and Sbéh 
mountains, or among the Sammar 4l Garba, who camp be- 
tween the middle Euphrates and the Tigris, or, finally, among 
the Sirhan and Beni Sahr on the southwestern borders of the 
Hawran. The camps of the tribes here named are universally 
recognized as places of refuge, where the culprits are tolerably 
safe. Now known as gelwijje or gallaje, they pitch their tents 
there and pasture their herds like everybody else. In case the 
members of a camp harboring the gelwij7e catch sight of a 
strange Bedouin prowling around, they bring him before the 
refugees to see whether they happen to know him. Should he 
be recognized as belonging to the avengers, the natives tie his 
hands behind his back or fetter his legs with horse chains and 
at last kill him, if there is nobody to intercede for him. 


ARRANGEMENTS FOR PAYMENT OF THE BLOOD PRICE 


After some time the chief of the camp where the culprits 
have found refuge sends to the chief of the avengers this 
message: 


A492 RWALA BEDOUINS 


“Your fellow tribesmen, beni ‘ammekom, dwell among us. 
Accept the blood price, medde!” 

If the blood price is refused by the avengers, the guilty 
parties can only remain abroad, jegdwertn ddjem al-awkdat. 
But if the avengers say: ‘‘We will accept the blood price,” the 
chief asks them to name their sureties of peace, or arbitrators, 
cefil ad-dafa’, while the culprits name their sureties for the 
payment, ¢efil al-wafa’. Then both parties agree on the chief 
before whom they will meet to settle the matter. When the 
culprits with their tents and herds, accompanied by their 
sureties for payment, arrive there, they send word to the aven- 
gers, jedfactin lehom: 

“Here we are with our surety. Make haste to come here 
too; we wish to pay you the blood price. Ha? henna ma‘ cefilna 
elhakow gaj nabri neddi ‘alezkom.”’ 

The avenger proper then sets forth with his surety of 
peace to the chief with whom the guilty party is camping, and 
in his tent the chief asks the avenger in the presence of all: 

“What dost thou ask from thy fellow tribesman?” 

“JT want this or that mare!’ 

The surety rises, brings the mare, and, handing her over 
to the avenger, says: “Thy fellow tribesman gives thee this 
mare.” 

The next question is: ‘What else dost thou ask of thy 
fellow tribesman?”’ 

“TY ask fifty she-camels; a complete armament of a rider 
— that is, a rifle, a saber, a dagger, a camel saddlebag, a 
hunting falcon, and a greyhound bitch, sluke [sic].” If the cul- 
prits object, pleading their inability to pay so much, the chief 
threatens to have them escorted to the camp where they sought 
refuge; en Cdn md entom Zdbelin neraggekom ‘ala meglakom. 
This makes the guilty party declare their willingness in these 
words: 

“We came here to agree to pay the blood price and will 
fetch every animal demanded, henna ma gina kowd Zéabelin 
bel-medda alli jabrih eben ‘ammena nesiikeh.” 

One third of the blood price is paid by them at once, the 
rest as soon as possible, the avengers not being permitted to 
trouble them on that account, w-al-asr md je‘assertinahom. 
Should they find out later that they cannot pay all that was 
demanded, they visit one of the prominent, kddemin, chiefs, 
with the entreaty: 


VENGEANCE 493 


“Go to So-and-So and get an abatement of the blood 
price for us!” 

To this the chiefs generally agree readily. They call on 
the avenger proper, who according to custom prepares a meal 
for them and invites them to eat, with the words: “Say the 
name of Allah over your meal, sammow ‘ala zaddkom’’; they 
answer: 

“We shall not do.so before thou givest us what we have 
come for, henna mad nesamni kowd alli hawwalna leh tan- 
tejnah.” 

“May Allah preserve your life! Whatever ye may wish 
stands before you. Hajjdkom allah alli tabriin ‘Senda wag- 
hakom.” 

Here the first chief interjects: “How many she-camels 
wilt thou give to me?” 

“T will give thee five!” 

“Q Allah, dost thou esteem me so low?”’ 

The host obligingly raises his offer. The other chiefs, too, 
ask for something and then declare that they will present all 
the animals they receive to the culprits. 

No chief or surety must ask or accept compensation for 
aiding those who carry on the blood feud in defense of the 
culprit, for that would stain his honor. His sole reward is 
the public acknowledgment that he has been instrumental in 
doing good, msajjer hsane, and preventing fresh shedding 
of blood. The guilty party show their gratitude to their pro- 
tectors in various ways. They like best of all to raise a white 
flag over the tent of the culprit proper, where they leave it 
for several days and ride around the camp shouting: 

“May Allah whiten So-and-So’s face! may he exalt his 
name both in this world and hereafter!” 

The returning culprits are welcomed by their fellow tribes- 
men with equestrian mock battles, merry feasting, and cries 
of joy, zardrit. For do not they return who might have been 
lost forever? 

The blood price of a man, medda rkaba, from a related 
tribe is one mare, fifty she-camels, and a complete rider’s 
equipment. For the blood of a woman no more than twenty- 
five she-camels is paid, because a woman is never valued as 
highly as a man, md@ hi mitl az-zelema ndkesa ‘an az-zelema. 
The compensation for a man from an alien tribe is only seven 
camels. 


494 RWALA BEDOUINS 


SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF VENGEANCE 


The wife, daughter, or sister of the culprit is never per- 
secuted by the avenger. If his sister or daughter is married 
to a man not a member of the culprit’s kin, he also will be 
spared. 

Should a woman commit murder, her husband is not subject 
to vengeance if he is not of her kin. He paid for her what 
her relatives asked, they have kept the payment and thus 
become liable for her misdeeds. The responsibility for the 
moral offenses of a woman is borne by her husband, but her 
material good or evil is the concern of her kin, hatéjéha w- 
atamiha berkubt ar-ragol hejrah w-sarrha lahalha. The person 
whom the married woman can most inconvenience is her own 
brother; hence the proverb: “The brother of a married woman 
is far removed from any good done by her, but very close to 
any evil she may be guilty of; ahu sirre ba%d ‘an al-hejr Zerib 
‘an al-mezarra.” If, therefore, the married woman commits 
murder, her brother is considered to be her chief accomplice. 
Her kin will flee, while she will remain calmly with her hus- 
band, unless he divorces her. The blood price is paid by her 
kin out of their own means. If she has received a few she- 
camels from her husband out of his surplus, damd‘anteh, she 
cannot use them for paying the blood price without his consent, 
because he gave her the animals for her own benefit and for 
the good of the children she has borne him, not for the benefit 
of her kin. 

Again, should anyone kill a married woman, it is the duty 
of her brother to avenge her, but the husband demands com- 
pensation. He who strikes a pregnant woman so that she 
miscarries, ramat, before the seventh month of her pregnancy, 
while it is impossible to recognize whether the unripe fruit 
of her womb was of the male or female sex, must pay twenty- 
five she-camels. If she miscarries in her seventh or eighth 
month or, as they say, hurries on the birth, ista‘gelat, and 
the prematurely born child dies, the compensation for a boy 
amounts to fifty, for a girl to twenty-five she-camels. Should 
the mother also die, twenty-five she-camels more must be paid. 
These are taken by the woman’s kin, the husband receiving 
what was paid for the child. 

The husband who has paid for his wife in full, may kill 
her without making himself liable to pay the blood price to 


VENGEANCE 495 


her kin, who may not demand it. Since he has bought her, she 
becomes his property, and he may punish her even by death, 
siktha wa-starajtha Sra. However, her kinsfolk investigate the 
reason for her death and take vengeance on him if they think 
the motives insufficient. 

The father who kills his son or daughter is responsible 
to nobody, as his children are his property, mulk. 

If a son kills his father or mother, no avenger will rise 
against him, but he must leave his clan or tribe forever. The 
same is true of a daughter who murders one of her parents. 

There is no blood price if a chief, or any Bedouin, kills 
a member of some other tribe who, happening to be in camp 
at the time a raid was being planned against an alien tribe, 
gave warning to the latter for payment. A hired traitor, nadir 
or haddam, may be killed without fear of vengeance. 

When a camp guard observes a man at night creeping 
close to the tents or herds and calls to him: “Who art thou, 
fellow, before I do something terrible? was ent 74 zelema Zabl 
al-wahama,” and the unknown man instead of answering starts 
to flee, the guard may shoot him without being liable to ven- 
geance. He that sights a thief in his tent at night and shoots 
or kills him is, likewise, immune from vengeance. 

He who rides through the desert on a dark night and 
wounds or shoots dead a robber who has assaulted him, will 
not fall under the ban of vengeance but has to prove that 
he acted in self-defense. 

For violating a virgin the offender may be killed with 
impunity by any one of her kin. Should any one attack the 
virgin’s avenger, he would be destroyed by his own kin. The 
honor of the virgin demands it, masyja-l-‘arz. 

A husband who sees a strange man with his wife pretends 
to see nothing but steals after him and, if nobody is near, 
kills him. The kin of the murdered man, although they pretend 
to seek out the slayer, are very careful not to attack the 
husband of the woman with whom the murdered man had 
illicit relations. Their kinsman was killed as a thief or robber, 
and they do not wish to blacken his face by forcing the hus- 
band to disclose what he has witnessed. Hence, pretending to 
seek out the slayer, they actually divert attention from him, 
while ostensibly showing their willingness to avenge their 
kinsman. 

A culprit while asleep must not be killed by an avenger, 


496 RWALA BEDOUINS 


since this would bring vengeance on the latter’s own head and 
his vengeance would not be accomplished. For a sleeping Bed- 
ouin has no soul and is as good as dead. A dead person cannot 
replace a living one, and he that injures a corpse involves the 
whole clan in his guilt. Therefore the avenger first awakens 
the culprit with the words: “‘O So-and-So! dost thou remember 
that So-and-So dwells in thy belly?” 

On finding the culprit, the avenger kills him, slits the 
corners of his mouth up to the ears, cuts off his ears, and 
sticks them into his mouth. Then everybody knows it for the 
deed of an avenger, and no search is made for the perpetrator. 
With the death of the real culprit the vengeance comes to an 
end, istaddow tadrhom, and his whole kin may return home in 
peace. 

He who unintentionally kills a man or a woman is not 
liable to vengeance but has to give compensation, often after 
prolonged negotiations. 

If a person is- killed by either a horse or a camel, its 
owner places the dead person’s clothes on the animal, brings 
it to his nearest relative, and leaves it there with the words: 
“This is thy blood shedder; take him!’ 

For the intentional killing of a horse or camel four times 
the animal’s value is to be paid; if the animal was killed 
accidentally, its actual market price only. 


TYPICAL INSTANCES OF THE APPLICATION OF THE LAWS 
OF VENGEANCE 


In the rainy season of 1905 the Kmusa were camping 
together with the ‘Ebede between al-Rurab and at-Tinf, their 
watering place there being the Habra at-Tnejf. The stud camel 
owned by Mnezzel eben Nims of the Kmusa attached himself, 
‘ajjar “ala, to the she-camels belonging to one Harras of the 
‘Ebede, who let him cover one of his she-camels, zarab beh 
lendkteh. When this came to the ears of Mnezzel’s son Hsej- 
jan he reproached Harras angrily: ‘““Thou hast used our stud 
camel without telling my father of it.” Harras retorted, and 
an altercation followed, tehdwasow, in the course of which 
Harras struck Hsejjan with his cudgel, madrub; whereupon 
the youth stabbed him with his dagger, killing him instantly. 
As soon as he realized what he had done he drove his herd to 
the tent of Eben Msejjeb of the Msike, ran inside, and begged: 


VENGEANCE A97 


‘‘People, behold, here Iam, guiltless. I ask Allah’s and your 
protection for the hair of our heads and for our herds. Ja rab‘ 
ana balas w-déhel ‘ala-llah w-‘alejkom ‘ala hafdfna w-atrafna.” 

Eben Msejjeb replied: “He that has asked for protection 
is saved, dahal ad-dahil w-silem.” 

Then he assembled all his relatives both on his father’s 
and mother’s side and rode with sixty men to the tents of 
Mnezzel eben Nims’ kin, loaded and carried them away, driving 
also his herds to the tents of his kinsfolk in order to be there 
before Harras’ kin could learn of the latter’s death. The Arabs 
with whom Mnezzel and his relatives were camping ran about, 
ragow, wondering why he had left them so suddenly, but 
received no positive information until all the relatives of the 
imperiled man were in safety with Eben Msejjeb, who im- 
mediately marched off with them to Eben Kardts of the 
‘Ebede. Arriving there, he stopped his camels in front of the 
tent, stepped inside, saluted, and quietly sat down. When fresh 
coffee was made for him, he refused it. To Eben Karduts’s 
question why he would not drink coffee with him he replied: 

“Because I desire, Eben KardtS, something else of thee 
first!” 

“Well, and what is it?” 

“We demand the old custom of you, ehna nabi minkom 
as-swani al-atiza.” 

“Tell us! sowlef.” 

Here Eben Msejjeb told what had happened, Eben Kardus, 
who was related to Harras, listening with the ereatest atten- 
tion. When Eben Msejjeb had finished, Eben Kardts said: 

“The matter about which thou hast come to me will 
receive our attention. Drink thy coffee. Wusu ent gajen leh 
rarazak tekza hod al-kahwe.” 

“Grant us a truce of some time!” 

“T will grant you a truce of ten days.” 

Eben Msejjeb drank his coffee, left the tent, and at once 
rode on with Mnezzel’s relatives to Ratwan eben MerSed and 
from him to Eben Stéwi. The latter then took the culprits 
to the Mwasserin kin of the Rwala, who had camped for the 
last few years with the Sirhan, and handed them over to their 
chief with the words: 

“These men are seeking a place of refuge, so I pass them 
from my countenance on to thine; har-rab* hadowla gallaje 
min waghi ana bwaghak.” 


A98 RWALA BEDOUINS 


The chief of the Mwasserin replied obligingly: ““Whatever 
comes to us, comes to its goal; md wasalna wasel.” 

_Mnezzel’s kin stayed with the Mwasserin a whole year. 
After that time the Mwasserin herdsmen sighted a strange 
Bedouin. They pursued, caught, and brought him before 
Mnezzel, who recognized him at once as the avenger of 
Harras. The Rwala therefore fettered his feet with a chain 
as they fetter a mare. On the fourth day they said to Mnezzel: 

“Mnezzel, we do not wish to kill the avenger, but, if he 
refuses to accept the blood price, we will take thee to the 
Beni Sahr; there thou wilt be safer than with us; 74 mnezzel 
dabh ma ehna dadbehineh Can inneh md hw zZébel al-medda 
newasselak ‘ala ahl as-Semdl ‘ala miglék.” . 

Their next step was to visit the avenger and ask him 
whether he would accept the blood price. The man said: 

“fam willing, but there are besides me other brothers 
and relatives whom I must consult first. Allow me to return, 
and I will send you a report.” 

So they let him go and soon received news that the 
avengers were willing to accept the blood price and had 
named at the same time Eben Kardia& as their arbitrator. 
The Rwala therefore conducted Mnezzel with all his kin to 
Ratwan eben Mersed, who sent the avengers the following 
message, dafa® ‘alevyhom: 

‘“‘Mnezzel eben Nims is staying with me. If you want the 
blood price, come. I guarantee its payment.” 

Finally Eben KardtS arrived. Ratwan brought Mnezzel’s 
mare and asked Eben Kardis: 

“Will ye accept Mnezzel eben Nims?” 

The answer being in the affirmative, Ratwan delivered 
to him one mare, four she-camels, and a rider’s equipment. 
The rest of the she-camels were to be given to Harras’ kin 
in the next few years. And when the rainy season began 
Mnezzel once again migrated and camped with the “Ebede 
— they were reconciled. 


A Bedouin of the Eben Mhejd kin of the Fed‘an struck 
his wife with a pestle, mihwa’, from a big mortar, breaking 
her head so that she died shortly afterward. He was sued by 
her kin, but all the judges, ‘awdref, declared that he had 
struck her in anger with no intention of killing and, as he 


VENGEANCE 499 


had paid for her what her kin asked, he was not obliged to 
give them anything now. 


Me‘gel eben ‘AmSa of the Drejb kin of the Kmusa on 
returning home found his young wife sobbing. 

“What ails thee?” he asked. | 

“Thine only brother Sammit has raped me!” 

Taking his revolver, Me‘gel sought out his brother and, 
with the words “Thus I punish a brother who has raped my 
wife,” shot him dead. 

The neighbors heard his words and saw Sammit fall dead, 
but no one dared to act against Me‘gel. 

As ‘soon as the head chief Ratwan eben MerSed heard 
of it, he rode to the slayer, entered his tent, and said: 

“By Allah, thou ply die this moment; w-allah kowd ent 
temut Senda has-sa‘a.’ 

But Me‘gel’s and Sh ibe mother, who was a widow, 
embraced her only son, crying: 

“Q Ratwan, leave me at least this child, the only boy 
I have now! halli wlejdi halli wahidi.” 

Ratwan turned on his heel and rode away without hurting 
Me‘gel. i 

A Kméasi, ‘Awénan eben Sa‘id, watered his herd at al- 
Gubb, south-southwest of al- Mijadin. The well was about two 
meters deep but wider at its coping stone than at the bottom, 
making the drawing of the water very difficult. His comrade 
therefore crept down, filled the leather bucket with water, 
and handed it to ‘Awénan, who was standing above, |to empty 
into the water trough. The thirsty camels pressing close, 
“Awenan alone could not keep them away, and one slid down the 
well. “Awénan caught the animal quickly by the head and jerked 
it to the ground, so that her front legs were outside, her 
belly on the coping stone, and her hind legs kicking wildly 
inside the well. One kick struck the man standing below, 
splitting his head. ‘Awénan’s shouts for help brought other 
herdsmen to the scene, who pulled out both the camel and 
the injured .man; the animal was unhurt, but the man soon 
died. When his father then seized the whole of ‘Awénan’s 
herd, the latter tied the dead man’s clothes to the camel by 
which he had been killed, swore that nobody but that animal 
had killed him, and offered compensation. The judges declared 


500 RWALA BEDOUINS 


that the guilty camel, but nothing else, belonged to the dead 
man’s father. 


In the camp of Megwel eben Mesreb, who was married 
to a French woman, there lived with the Bedouin ‘Afet a 
youth named Metkal, a native of Irak, working for hire. 
Suddenly he disappeared. ‘Afet made a search for him but 
without success. At last he was found by a strange wayfarer 
with his head shot through, the corners of the mouth slit, 
and his ears stuck into his mouth. This showed it to be the 
deed of an avenger who was in the camp as a guest at the 
time and soon made himself known. Having proved that it 
was his duty to kill Metkal, he was allowed to go back to 
Irak in peace. 


Grejd eben Mowzan tracked, tehajjer, a guilty man with 
his relatives for a whole year. He knew that by doing so he 
exposed himself to great dangers and might even lose his life, 
should the Arabs sheltering the culprits catch him; but this 
did not deter him from his purpose. Learning finally that the 
guilty men were living with the Sirhan, he entered the service 
as feddwi, free servant, of a member of this tribe in order to 
discover the tent occupied by the culprit proper. At last he 
succeeded. One morning creeping to the tent he saw the culprit 
milking a camel. Foaming with rage he leaped at him, ‘adlah 
‘alejh, and with a dagger stabbed him to the heart. Having 
thus done his duty, he sought protection in a tent, zeben 
‘ala bejten, and found it, because the murdered culprit’s rel- 
atives were able to testify that he was the avenger proper, 
mettari, who had avenged his relative, tetdreh. 


Song of a Culprit Longing to Return to His Fellow 
Tribesmen 


1. Kum 34 nedimi w-e'teli fowk ma‘fa’ 
tasda rafif at-tejr bel-agrumijje 

2. maftult ad-der‘dn killah mwazza’ 
elja-‘teztah takta’ batd ad-dwijje 

3. telfi ‘ala hak ar-rba& al-mebenna’ 
bimdahel al-wudjan barzen ‘adijje 

4. telfr ‘ala gezza° w-as-Sejh melfah 
elja°’ hagar bel-kown dib as-serijje 


16. 


VENGEANCE 


. 74 Sejhana jetreb al-kalb membah 


wa-shinakom dubb al-leyali melijzje 


. al-agrafi min az-zeym al-jowm jenha’ 


min Sdn hamlen tezilen ‘alijze 


. “ala-r-refaka kilt ana-l-jowm wagdah 


id as-salam w-habbereh lil-kazijje 


. masjen ma‘ al-agndb lel-adw temanna 


w-alli ma* al-agnab ma beh hamijje 


. abu fahad habib alli jet‘annah 


jefozg al-mesdéel w-ad-da‘dwi-l-kawijje 


. as-Sejh eben turki w-la beh mrawa 


zeqgzum harb w-la jekatte’ nwijje 


. sallem ‘ala zari zebtin al-mu‘anna 


rejr az-zafer bat-tib w-al-marhabijje 


. Seghen ‘adim w-tetan al-hejl jimnwh 


hom mdaka‘en lat-tib w-ahl al-hamijje 


. sallem ‘ala mas‘dn ajqjak tensa’ 


hadak ahw gahla zebin ar-radijje 


. 70 labeti lad 7a zebun al-mgella’ 


jehallin zejzat al-meddheb fazijje 


. atrafahom jedleh bihen kill men ga@ 


swalfen dubb al-lejali ‘adijzje 
anha-r-refaka kill abihom ‘ala-fla’ 
alli wara-l-geddejn bed-dahmasij7e. 


. Rise, comrade, and mount a rested she-camel 
Resembling a heron in the ‘Agrumijje swamps, 
. With forelegs muscular, symmetrically built, 
Who, when thou needest her, will cross vast plains. 


. She will reach yon tent for men only, pitched 


501 


On the borders of al-Wudijan, that wholesome land; 
. Will reach also Chief Gezza‘, for whom this poem was 


written 


And who, when in battle engaging, is like a wolf among 
the riders. 
. O chief of ours, at whose message the heart rejoices! 
Your platters remain full all the night through. 

. From bondage al-‘Agrafi today utters his battle cry 

For bitter distress has come upon him. 
. Against my traveling companions today I cried: “O woe!” 
Repeat [O messenger] the salute and tell what has 


happened. 


502 RWALA BEDOUINS 


8. Thou mayst wish that thine enemy should walk with 
strangers, 
For he that dwells with strangers lacks protection. 
. Fahad’s father is dear to each suppliant; 
He solves problems and disputes, be they ever so dif- 
10. The chief, Eben Turki, has no defect, [ ficult. 
In war he is a shield never changing his views. 
11. Greet for me Zari, the protector of the violated, 
Who is jealous of the victor in contest and hospitality, 
12. He is a chief all-destroying, for his right hand pierces 
both rider and horse. 
These are supporters and sure protectors in battle. 
13. Greet MaS‘an! Woe to thee shouldst thou forget! 
He is a brother of Gahla, a shield even of a common 
mare. 
14. O relatives of mine, let not the protectors of him who 
seeks refuge desert me, 
And let the anger in their breasts dissolve. 
15. For he who once reaches their lines can untroubled 
Amuse himself by telling stories the whole healthful 
nights through. 
16. I ask help of my traveling comrades, who have with 
me a common ancestor 
Removed by two generations; I call on them with the 
war cry of the DahaméSe tribe. 


ie) 


Al-‘Agrafi, a member of the tribe of ad-Dahamie, subject, 
min kowm, to Chief Hajes eben Mesglad, killed his relative 
during a quarrel while journeying with him and some comrades 
to as-Samawa and then sought protection from the blood 
vengeance, gala’, with Prince an-Niri. The avenger refused 
the blood price, and al-"Agrafi was pining away. Having killed 
_his own kinsman and being without brothers — the father 
had fallen in war —, he fled alone and, friendless as he was, 
felt utterly abandoned and powerless. After two years he 
composed this poem and sent it to the most respected men 
of his kin. The reciter was my traveling comrade TareS eben 
Melfi, another Dahmaii, although he was not intelligent 
enough to explain every detail in the poem. 

Verse 1. Nedimi, a poetical expression for ahi, rafizi, or 
hawi, meaning comrade. E‘teli, instead of the colloquial eréab, 
ascend or mount. Ma‘fa’ is a she-camel whom the owner re- 


VENGEANCE 503 


serves for special journeys. 3. Rba is a tent for men only. 
Nothing but coffee is made there. Other dishes are prepared 
by the women in another tent, where they also live. Among 
the ‘Amarat and Dahamse tribes every chief has two tents put 
up, one for men, the other for women. bimddhel is pronounced 
bimddhel. The Dahamie often replace the h with h. 4. Gezza‘ 
eben Meglad, a relative of Hajes, was the war leader, Sejh as- 
Sddad, of the Dahamse. 5. Membdah is something which we learn 
through others. 6. Nahwa is the war cry of a kin; a warrior 
jentahi, when he shouts his war cry before the chief or his com- 
rades to prove that he will not desert them; an oppressed man 
jenha’, when he shouts the war cries of some prominent men, 
calling them to his aid. Whoever hears his own war cry uttered 
by an oppressed man feels ashamed and has to give help or 
else lose his reputation. 7. The traveling companions were his 
relatives, with whom he was riding to buy corn in as-Samawa 
on the right bank of the lower Euphrates. 8. The poet asso- 
ciates with strangers, the Rwala. Even if they were fellow 
tribesmen, beni al-“amm, yet they would not protect him as 
would his ahl, his kin. 9. Fahad’s father was Hajes eben 
Meglad, universally recognized as the best judge, ‘drefa. 10. 
Mhammad eben Turki, the chief of a powerful kin. 11. Zari 
eben Zbej‘an, an influential chief of the Dahamse. Zebun, 
instead of zeben, shelter or protector. At-ftb means a struggle, 
a contest or duel, with the stoutest hero of the enemy. 13. 
Mas‘Aan eben Bakr calls the camel herds belonging to his kin 
Gahla, hence his war cry: “Ana-hu gahla eben bakr, I am 
the brother of Gahla, I am Eben Bakr!” Radijje is a common 
mare, kdige. 14. Flén medhabeh (pl., medadheb) zajjez, or sid- 
reh zajjez, is a narrow-breasted person, or one easily offended, 
who remains so for a long time; one who cannot exhale the 
anger from his breast. 16. Second cousins separated by two 
generations from their common ancestor, their great-grand- 
father, are included in the ahi proper or the kin bound to 
afford one another mutual protection. 


CHAPTER XxXI 


WAR AND PEACE 


The Rwala are ever at war with one tribe or another. 
Without war a Rwejli could not live. War gives him an oppor- 
tunity of displaying his cunning, endurance, and courage. He 
neither loves the shedding of blood, nor craves booty, but is 
allured by danger and delights in the predatory art. The booty 
itself he will give away without thinking much about it — 
even to the wife of the very man he has just robbed. Some 
tribes, not always entire strangers, hate each other cordially. 
Between them peace is never of long duration. Despite the 
greatest efforts of the chiefs to prevent war, their people 
continue to attack and destroy one another. With the tribes 
_ settled along the desert borders and fully subject to the Govern- 
ment, peace is never concluded. If the Government, which is 
supposed to protect them, is weak, the Rwala despoil them 
whenever they are so inclined. The more distant the pastures 
of two tribes are, the longer will the war between them last. 


DECLARATIONS OF WAR 


The causes of war are, as arule, petty thefts and the cap- 
turing of stray animals. The individual tribesmen begin to accuse 
each other of harboring stolen she-camels, nakdjes. Then they 
call on their chiefs for help. Couriers ride from tribe to tribe 
with verbal and written messages. Evidently both tribes desire 
war. Finally the chief of one tribe sends to the chief of the 
other a letter worded somewhat as follows: 

“To the well-born, highly honored brother, Chief So-and- 
So! May Allah preserve his good name! Amen. Extending our 
greetings and entreating Allah’s mercy and blessing for you, 
we announce to you that your Arabs are harassing our people 
and robbing them of their property continually without any 
effort on your part to put a stop to it. From this we judge 
that it happens with your assent. We now demand that you 
return without delay the stolen camels. If you refuse, you are, 
behold! hereby deprived of your fair name, magrud an-neka? 

504 


WAR AND PEACE 505 


‘aleyzkom, and our face shall remain blank to you. You must 
not accuse us and blacken our face. This much for you to know, 
and greetings. Your brother, X Y.” 3 

Should the other chief be averse to war, he will write 
back: “Both thine and my people rob each other mutually, rab‘ 
w-rab‘ak jitamaaruin bénhom. If thou desirest war with us, 
elja’ tabri kwametna, return our fair name to us, rudd ‘alejna 
an-neka. We do not intend to fight with you and shall not 
return your integrity to you. Let us know whether ye are 
our friend, siddiz or sdheb, or enemy, kowméni.” 

When in the early part of 1909 the Rwala began to harass 
the oasis of al-Gowf, which lies in their territory and for more 
than fifty years had belonged to the kin of Eben RaSid, the 
minister of the Emir Sa‘ad eben Rasid, still a minor, sent 
messengers to Prince an-Ndri eben Sa‘lan asking why his 
people were acting thus. An-Niri’s answer is worth noting: 

“If Eben Rasid is still as strong, ‘aziz, as before and can 
protect al-Gowf, I desire to live in friendship with him. But 
if his power is shattered and he is threatened with foreign 
sovereignty, then I shall not allow al-Gowf to fall into other 
hands. This is my land, and my land I will give to nobody. It has 
been reported to us that Eben Sa‘td has defeated Eben Rasid 
and is pursuing him in the direction of his seat, Hajel. Go there 
and see for yourself what power your emir still has. If he 
prevails upon Eben Sa‘td, we will come to a friendly agree- 
ment; but until that happens his representative had better 
depart, together with the garrison. If he does so at once, no 
Sammari shall suffer the least harm. Before tomorrow’s sun- 
set let me know when the garrison will leave. Should the 
answer not be in my hands by that time, behold! my face will 
remain white to you, you will be our enemies!’ 

Sometimes a chief will send word: “By God, let there be 
enmity between us, so that blood flows; w-allah w-al-kowm al- 
hamra.” Or: “Let there be between you and ourselves regu- 
larly declared enmity; bénna w-bénkom kowm ‘ala wazha-n- 
neka’. 

Neka means honesty, a fair name. After peace is made the 
neka’ remains with both tribes. Should one of these tribes at- 
tack the other, it would cover itself with infamy and stain, or 
blacken its face — meaning its honor or integrity. This status 
of integrity or of a good name must be first removed; this 
is done by the declaration of one tribe that it returns the 


506 RWALA BEDOUINS 


honesty, raddejna an-neka’ ‘alejkom, or wipes, or scrapes, it 
off, magriud ‘aleyzkom an-neka’. As soon as this is done, they 
may attack without injuring their honor in the least; elja’ 
raddejna an-neka’ narir ‘ala wazha-n-neka. Their face will 
remain white. But when they attack without having first wiped 
off the neka’, they commit treason and blacken their honor; 
elja° ma raddejna an-neka’ hada bowken buktina 74 sidén al- 
hejl. The neka’ is the beginning of the war, rds al-kwdme, 
also the pillar of fighting, ‘amtd al-hardjeb, and thus sig- 
nifies the declaration of hostilities. 

The chief of any tribe may declare war. If several tribes 
ally themselves under one prince, they do not thereby renounce 
their right of declaring. war independently. Prince an-Nitri 
eben Sa‘lan is the recognized head of the Rwala, the Weld 
‘Ali, the Esage‘a, the Kwacbe, and others, and yet he never 
declares war in the name of them all but merely of his own 
Rwala. During my stay there the Rwala lived at peace, saheb, 
with the Fed‘an, but this did not prevent the Weld ‘Ali from 
making war, kowm, on the latter. When Prince an-Nuri de- 
clared war on Eben Rasid the envoys of the Taman, a division 
of the Sammar subject to Eben RaSid, immediately appeared 
before him, suing for peace. Only when the chiefs of all the 
allied tribes give him the full power, mawwanth, can he declare 
war in their name, and war is also waged against all of them, 
kowm ‘ala-l-gami. 


RAIDS 
Small Raids 


As soon as war has been declared raids, both large and 
small, begin and often a regular battle, mandh, is also fought. 
If the hostile tribes camp somewhere near, a few men start 
out for robbery on foot, jihanSelun. If the camps are at some 
distance, they ride on camels, ma‘djir bizhtir ar-rédb. When 
more than twenty men on camels, ge7s, or on horses and 
camels, hejl w-gejs, gather, then it is a raid, razw, called 
sarir when the number of participitants is small, and Gebir 
when it is large. Every expedition of this kind has a leader, 
‘azid (pl., ‘ukda’), who need not always be a chief of a tribe, 
as every tribe can have its own military leader or war com- 
mander, Sejh as-Sddd, if the chief is not possessed of suffi- 


WAR AND PEACE 507 


cient military ability, or is ailing, or too old. Sometimes the 
chief’s son or one of his relatives is entrusted with the com- 
mand. But any Bedouin conspicuous for his prudence and 
bravery in time of war may be promoted from leader of the 
men on foot to leader of mounted men and may even be rec- 
ognized as the commander-in-chief. The chief generally tries 
to gain his favor, marries his daughter to him, and adopts 
him into his kin, but likewise may bring about. his death on 
finding that the commander does not wish him well. For a 
leader who rises in such a manner usually deposes the reigning 
kin and becomes chief himself. Therefore the members of the 
reigning kin are very careful when choosing a chief and rec- 
ognize only the most distinguished of their kin. This is also 
the reason why the dignity of a chief does not pass from 
father to son as a matter of course. 

The commander of the smaller expeditions gives notice 
to his friends: “We intend to start on foot — or on horseback 
—on a raid, nabri nehansel or ne‘ajjer.””’ When some men have 
declared their willingness to participate, he says to them: 

“We shall go when the sign is favorable, nimedd bel- 
wagbet az-zéne, either on Monday or Thursday.” 

For the small expeditions dark nights are the most suit- 
able, lejal az-zalma’ zéne lil-ma‘djir w-al-hangel. But by far 
the best is the lejlet as-sarra, the last night of the lunar 
month, when the moon does not appear at all, “as he is then 
staying with the sun.” On clear nights, lejdl al-kamra, small 
expeditions are never undertaken. Among the seasons of the 
year the cold period is the most favorable, as there is not so 
much danger from thirst, which is greatly feared. On the 
whole, both small and large expeditions are made preferably in 
the time of abundance, rabi‘, when edible plants, good pasture, 
and plenty of water may be found anywhere. This is the time 
when the inner desert swarms with raiders of every description. 


Preparations for a Large Raid 


Whenever the commander intends to undertake a large 
raid, jimedd razzdj, he announces ‘it to the chiefs in substanti- 
ally these words: “Behold! we wish to go on a large raid 
under the leadership of the All-Highest. Shoe your horses 
and prepare supplies for yourselves, ehdi hejlkom w-wazzent 
zehabkom. Behold! ye will assemble at the appointed place on 


508 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Monday [or Thursday] which is always favorable to us, bwag- 
bet at-tnén.” 

They answer: “O Allah, may success be our lot! May he 
grant us luck! Jd-llah makstim hejr allah jah as-sa‘ad.” 

Then they begin to hunt for good camel bags, flour, water 
bags, and barley for the horses. He who means to go on his 
mare only seeks someone to carry his food. supplies, zammal. 
If he finds a camel rider who will do him that service, jez- 
maleh, he loads his supplies on the camel and himself rides 
in the saddle, while the owner sits behind. The mare runs 
beside the camel to which she is tied. But every owner of a 
mare generally has a camel of his own and is accompanied 
either by his slave or a younger relative. Those who ride on 
camels are always in the majority, and for long raids in the 
hot season none but she-camels are used. Horses are ridden 
mainly on short raids, undertaken in the time of rabi. Nor 
can all the horses in camp be taken out—at least half must 
be left at home in order to repel a possible hostile attack. 
All. the horses are shod before making a raid, and a few 
extra horseshoes taken to meet emergencies, jetanassel hda- 
ha. They also sew up, generally with horsehair, the vaginas, 
jesabberun al-faras, of mares big with young, especially the 
older ones, in order to prevent miscarriage. _ 

Old men and small boys must not go on a raid. They 
are left at home to guard the camp. However, a boy of twelve 
is old enough to join the raiders and may properly do so, 
especially in the rabi* season when neither thirst nor hunger 
threatens. In the hot months mainly men between 16 and 40 
take part. They do not like to be accompanied by a young hus- 
band, ‘arris (sic), in the first year of his married life. This time, 
called krdn al-‘ars, is not very favorable to important ventures, 
therefore it is better that the young husband should stay at 
home. No custom forbids men to have intercourse with their 
wives immediately before starting out, nor is it necessary 
that they should put on freshly washed clothes. Everybody 
usually leaves in the clothes he wears at the moment. 

The preparations for a raid take a considerable time. 
However, nobody ever knows definitely against which tribe 
he is going, for the simple reason that the Rwala always 
have several enemies at once. Only the most intimate friends 
of the commander-in-chief know his objective, while the rest 
of the camp is kept guessing. This secret it is necessary to 


WAR AND PEACE 509 


preserve, as some wayfarer or foreign herdsman might easily 
give warning to the hostile tribe and enable it to lay a trap 
for the raiders. It is generally the slaves of the prince or 
commander who overhear the conversation and then relate it 
to show that they know more than the Rwala themselves. 

On the day agreed on they depart in smaller or larger 
groups either for the commander’s tent or the appointed place 
of rendezvous. A guide familiar with the watering places, 
deltl, is always taken and, whenever possible, a member of the 
tribe to be attacked as well. This is usually an elderly herds- 
man who has hired himself out with them; he is sent for by 
the commander at the last moment before setting out. 

The commander is also accompanied on the raid by a 
seer or sorcerer, sdheb as-sirr, to whom Allah sends dreams 
in his sleep of a certain significance, ‘arza ma‘dwdijje. He is 
asked by the commander: “O So-and-So, didst thou have a 
dream of such-and-such a significance? ‘arzatk gatk.” It is 
a favorable omen, for instance, if he has dreamed of a mare 
or a she-camel; if he has kissed a girl, put on a new dress, 
or eaten dates—all these presage a rich capture of camels. 
If he has eaten meat in his dream, it means that tents will 
be captured, together with the kettles in which the meat is 
boiled. If he has put on a greenish jacket in his dream, gowha 
hazra, the commander will distinguish himself in a duel. If 
he dreamt that he was standing on a high hill, it is a sure 
sign that the commander will defeat the enemy decisively. If 
he has seen regular soldiers attacking the Bedouins, it is a 
sure sign that a heavy rain will compel the raiders to rest 
for some time. Of unfavorable significance, ‘arza Séna, 1S a 
dream in which the sleeping seer sees a wounded, a naked, 
or a snake-bitten man; or one in which he has his front teeth 
knocked out; or in which he falls down a well, wdze‘en bel- 
Zelib, or is fettered, or holds gold in his hand, or goes blind. 
But if he puts on a red jacket in his dream, then the com- 
mander’s blood is sure to flow. 

The commander takes care not to meet before his tent any 
member of the ‘Orzan (Misfortunates) kin of the Kwacbe, of 
the Flete (Surprised) of the Rwala, of the Bdir (Oppressed) of 
the Hsage‘a, or of the KSUS (Chased Away) of the ‘Abdelle, for 
the names of these kins prove that they possess qualities very 
unfavorable to any large undertaking, ‘arzathom md hi zéne. 

When the commander reaches the place of meeting, the 


510 RWALA BEDOUINS 


partakers in the raid greet him with the words: “May this 
project bring luck, rdsda han-nijje,” his answer being: “The 
same to thee, lenowlak.” , 

In every raid there is a commander or leader. In the 
smaller ones there is only one, in the larger there may be 
more. In the smaller raids the leader, ‘azid, takes the best 
of the captured riding camels, nékt as-sddd, as well as a she- 
camel which strikes his fancy, al-mhawwa’, and finally a she- 
camel for sacrifice, al-‘azire, because according to the custom 
one she-camel is sacrificed after each successful raid. 

If the raiding party is made up of various tribes or clans, 
each of them has its own wholly independent leader. Only 
when the commander-in-chief also participates will he com- 
mand in person and thus become al-munth al-mutir, that is 
to say, the one who gives orders when to rest and when to 
march. To al-munil al-mutir one she-camel, sadrijje, is given 
by each of the leaders, and besides he gets all the pack camels 
captured in the raid, such animals being recognized by their 
bald or gray backs, ashab azg-zahr. Moreover he can pick out 
any she-camel he desires, hazizateh (sic), and the best riding 
camel, and the camel for sacrifice. As a leader of his own 
troop he shares equally with the other leaders except when 
nothing but pack .animals, he-camels, zenel;.and she-camels, 
rohl, have been captured in the raid. In that case the leader 
takes as many as he wants, the rest going to the men under 
his command. 

The commander also decides whether the booty is to be 
divided, hiser, or whether every one has to seize it on his 
own account, rejr hiser. In picking out a riding camel after 
a raid in which every man has taken booty for himself, the 
‘azid permits its owner to take any other he pleases in ex- 
change, but has the right to except three participants from 
whom nothing may be taken. Such a permission is given 
with these words: “I empower thee to select from all raiders 
excepting from these three, A, B, and C. To them do not go, 
but otherwise take what thou desirest. Ana mheddak behal- 
razw ‘okob taldte flan wa-flan wa-flén lad tigihom hod illi 
tarzik.” The she-camel he thus takes is called ragwa. If stray 
horses, mdreg, or abandoned camels are caught or dropped 
rifles found, both these being called hdreg, they are handed 
over to the commander, who is entitled to them. For the rest, 
captured horses always belong to the captor, are never shared, 


WAR AND PEACE 511 


and cannot be claimed by the commander. If a horse owner 
who has formed a partnership with a camel owner captures 
only one she-camel, he keeps her, giving his partner six megi- 
dijjat ($5.40) in compensation. If he captures a horse, he gives 
his comrade a she-camel from his own herd; otherwise the 
first captured she-camel is always his, while the second, ‘djde, 
belongs to the partner. But when everybody takes booty on 
his own account he must mark the captured she-camel in such 
a way that she may not be taken by someone else. Usually he 
makes her kneel and fetters both her forelegs to prevent her 
from running away. A she-camel about which two raiders are 
in dispute is called rubdsa. 

If the commanders of a raid agree to share the booty 
obtained by all, jetahdsardn, they begin by counting the parti- 
cipants. If one of the leaders has many and another only a 
few men with him, the latter is given more, so as to equalize 
the strength of all the troops. The booty is divided equally 
' Into as many parts as there are leaders; these take. their 
Share and apportion the rest among their men. Demanding 
a head rope from each man, the leader lays these ropes over 
his left arm and, walking among the captured animals, hangs 
one rope after another around their necks. Every one then 
takes the she-camel with his head rope. The remaining animals 
are divided in the same manner. Should there be more parti- 
cipants than captured camels, the ‘azid divides them arbi- 
trarily. As a rule he takes into consideration how much booty 
has been taken by the men individually or the fact that some 
of the men may have lost camels of their own. The manner 
of getting booty and of its division should always be agreed 
on before the raid, to prevent trouble afterwards. 

When all the men taking part in a raid assemble, the 
leader informs them whither they are bound. After midnight 
two or three men on horseback are ordered to ride ahead in 
order to examine the country through which the expedition 
has to pass as far as their next night’s rest. They are called 
‘ajn (pl., “ujtin). As far as possible they should have white 
horses, because white means success. Their duty is to find 
the tracks of Bedouins, to look from hilltops for camps, graz- 
ing camels, and troops of riders, and to examine the neigh- 
borhood of the next night’s stopping place with regard to 
water and pasture, etc. If they sight a troop of riders or if 
they find neither water nor sufficient pasture near the spot 


512 RWALA BEDOUINS 


designed for their night’s rest, they send one of their number 
to the commander with the report of what they have found, 
while the others keep an eye on the strange riders or continue 
their search for a better place to sleep in the direction given 
to them by the leader. 

In the morning the leader announces to his troop: “Our 
supper will be in such and such a place.” Each man saddles 
his animal. Then he looks fixedly at the leader. As soon as 
the latter jumps into his saddle, all follow his example and 
ride after him. 


Raiders’ Marching Songs 


On the road, especially in the morning, the Rwala exer- 
cise their horses or let them prance at will, and amuse them- 
selves with songs known as hda’. 


Jd-llih talabnak j4-l-rafur 
jd-ba-d-darag al-dlije 
teg‘al lena hazgzen jetur 
bel-awwala w-at-talize. 


O Allah! we beg of thee, thou forgiver, 

O Lord of the stairs which lead up to the heights! 
To let our luck uplift itself 

With the first she-camel and the last one too. 


Jetur means a kneeling camel in the act of rising from 
the ground. 


Fdlakom ja razw tib 
falakom tarsen ‘azib 
fdlakom 7a razw tajjeb 
falakom tarsen krajjeb. 


May your omen, O razw (raid)! be good; 

May it signify herds spending the night far from tents. 
May your omen, O razw! be good; 

May it signify herds close by. 


Fadl is a sign, omen, from which either the success or 
the failure of the undertaking is judged. Tarsen ‘azib is a 
herd grazing and sleeping far from the tents, which are 
usually pitched near a watering place. 


WAR AND PEACE 513 


Ja ma hala tdri-l-hardjeb 
w-as-sejh jowzed nadraha 
min fowk musammart as-Selil 
w-muaskaran mismaraha. 
Oh, how dear are the tidings of wars, 
When their fire is stirred by the chief 
Riding on a mare with her tail held upright 
And with the nails of her shoes inward bent. 


Tari-l-hardjeb, the report or tidings of wars, has the same 
meaning as habar al-hardjeb. Selil signifies a tail and the hairs 
of the tail. A good mare holds her tail upright, musammart as- 
Selil, while galloping, so that her hips are covered by the hair 
of the tail. 

Haribina mitl al-alil 
w-elja’ beri ‘ddeh belah 
‘adatana dabh al-halil 
w-at-tameh nelhecha hawéh. 

He who wars with us is like a sick man 

Whom, scarce recovered, his disease overtakes once more. 

We are wont to kill a husband, 

Enabling a woman who sighs for a braver man to choose 

whom she desires. 


He who is at war with the Rwala is never safe from an 
attack. Even if a whole month or two go by without their 
making their appearance, he must not imagine that they will 
come no more and that he is wholly safe and well. They 
might be twenty days away, for example when camping in 
northern Palmyrena and their enemies in the valley of ar- 
Rma’ or in the neighborhood of Hajbar, yet they will come 
suddenly, and thus his disease — meaning defeat and the loss 
of herds—will return. In fighting them, many a husband will 
die whose wife was longing for a better, braver man. If her 
husband refuses to divorce her and her kin will not allow her 
to leave him, she can only wait till the enemy’s arms rid her 
of him. Thus the Rwala offer her, as a medicine, nelhecha, 
the free choice of a better husband. 


Al-badreha hulli Zerib 
w-al-jowm bass dijarahom 
da° balak ar-rigm at-twil 
radik tatdle’ nadrahom. 


514 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Yesterday my beloved was near 

And today [I only see] the territory of her tribe. 
Behold the stone pile on the high hill, 

Perhaps [from there] thou wilt see her fire. 


Yesterday he left the camp, passing by the tent of his 
beloved, while today he is far away from her but still in 
the same territory. There, on a high hill, he sees a cairn, 
rigm. He wishes to ascend, hide behind the stones, and look 
in all directions. Perhaps he will see the smoke or flame of 
the fire in the tent where his sweetheart is living. The desert 
air is clear, the Rwala have sharp eyesight and can see a 
fire even if sixty kilometers distant. 


Abri atamanna menweti 
Sakra dehib muhaggala 
abri elja? lahz at-talab 
w-rajjezha md-‘aggelha. 
I wish to explain for what I long: 
For a gold sorrel with white forelegs! 
I wish, if the pursuing enemy overtakes us, 
To let her walk but slowly, not urge her to speed. 


Talab is the term for camel riders pursuing raiders. 
While being overtaken, the greedy cowards urge the captured 
animals to the highest speed in order to make their escape. 
Our rider, who desires to capture a sorrel mare of a golden 
tint, has no intention of galloping away but means to check 
his animal in order to repel the enemy, although he knows 
that the owner of the mare and his relatives will do their 
utmost to throw him from the saddle in order to recover the 
sorrel. 

Ja ‘amm wa-star li gemuh 
ja budd mad hi sdjere 
1a budd min jowmen jesir 
beh al-kalaje’ hdajere. 

-O uncle, buy for me a mare that clears all obstacles; 

Oh, truly, how such a one will attack! 

Oh, truly, on the day when she attacks, 

Mares whose riders have been thrown will run to and fro. 


Gemth is a mare able to jump over any obstacle. She 
does not slip on soft salt-covered ground, nor fall from a 


WAR AND PEACE 515 


sunken bank, gurf, nor stick her foot into the holes made 
by the various field mice; hence she never throws her rider. 
When such a mare attacks, sdjere, the enemy, her rider throws 
his opponent easily from the saddle, and the enemy’s mare 
then runs to and fro, haere. 


‘“Ammi Sara’? li mohrati 

la 7a ba‘ad. kill al-‘amam 
al-jowm urawwi harbati 
w-azreb ‘ala wast al-citam. 


My uncle bought a mare for me, 

Oh, may he live longer than all the uncles! 
Today I shall give my spear blade [blood] to drink 
And strike in the midst of the rising dust. 


La was explained by the word rejt (for lejt), “Would that, 
If only”; ba‘ad signifies both death and the remoteness of it. 
Harba stands for the spear blade. Citém is used here instead 
of ‘agdg al-hejl or mahds al-hejl and means the opaque cloud 
of whirled-up dust and sand which envelops fighting riders. 
Our warrior intends to throw himself into the midst of this 
citam, although he knows the danger threatening him there. 
Citém in its original sense signifies a slight fog or haze ob- 
structing a free view. 


Jad ma hala rkib al-asil 
ja ma hala hedbataha 
ma surbeten mad hi Zelil 
‘ala-l-edw ‘ejlataha. 


Oh, how sweet it is to ride on a thoroughbred mare! 
How sweet her prancing! 

And with the troop not of the smallest 

The enemy shall feel her rearing. 


A thoroughbred mare greatly enjoys a fight. When the 
riders clash she prances merrily, and as her rider attacks 
she rears, trying to strike down the enemy’s horse with her 
forelegs. 


Jad mohrati hobbit habib 
w-al-harf la jetri ‘alejé 
ma tul ahu kutne harib 
w-al-rowg lad jenzi ‘alezé. 


516 RWALA BEDOUINS 


O thou little mare of mine! prance but slowly 
And let not galloping enter thy mind; 

For as long as Kutne’s brother is warring 

No stud horse shall cover thee. 


Hobbi habib is an easy gait combined with playful pranc- 
ing, as is the wont of young, spirited mares. If a mare walks 
in that manner, the rider can look all around and see danger 
much sooner than when she is at full gallop. Hobbi habib 
denotes the same as emSi ‘ala kejfeé, or ‘ala dibeé. (In this 
latter phrase dub means “slowly,” “carefully,” “with difficulty.” 
“Farask radijje darha dibak ma‘aha” means: “Thy mare was 
brought up poorly, be careful with her.” “Al-‘arab bactdin 
dubak tasalhom hal-lejle, the Arabs camp far from here, thou 
wilt hardly reach them tonight.” “Didst thou understand 
what they were saying to each other?” “By God! no; only the 
sound of men talking was heard; lé w-allah dib ar-regal jat- 
harragun.”) Harf means a gallop. Kutne’s brother is Turki, 
chief of the Fed‘an, who use the war cry: “I am the brother 
of Kutne! ana-hu kutne,” because they call by the name Kutne 
all their camels, especially white ones, just as the Rwala call 
their camels ‘Alja. Turki was constantly making raids on the 
Rwala, who for their part were always ready to retaliate. 
Therefore the rider will not let his mare be covered by a 
stallion, because a mare big with young is good neither for 
a vigorous defense nor for a furious attack. 


Al-asmar alli kddaha 
w-al-bis mad jatri ‘alejh 

ja ma hala gowz ar-reddni 
wa-mgarrez jazhi ‘alejh. 


Dark skinned is he who led her, 

And to sell her will not occur to him. 
Oh, how sweet to carry two pistols 

And a spear, too, rising above the rider. 


From a raid undertaken in summer the participants are 
now returning after a long absence. One of them, burned dark 
by the sun, leads a captured mare, which he refuses to sell. 
A youth observing him comforts himself with the idea that 
he too will succeed in capturing something in the next raid. 
The words gowz ar-reddni, a pair of pistols, prove this song 


WAR AND PEACE 517 


to be of considerable age, because for the last fifty years no 
pistols have been carried; revolvers have now taken their 
place. Al-mgarrez, the killer, means the long spear—but this 
also has had to yield to a good repeating rifle. 


Ja hejh 7a rai-l-katid 
rajjez kacudak jammana 
min ‘okob ma henna bad 
w-nahmed alli lammana 
w-elja’ telaken bes-semah 
narzik w-nazal ‘ammana. 


Oh, hail to thee, O thou camel rider! 

Let him walk by our side leisurely. 

Now that we are far away 

We, it is true, praise him who assembled us. 

Still, if [our mares] should meet [the foe] on a hard plain, 
It is thee we desire, for we are angry with our uncle. 


The negroes serving with Prince an-Niri wished to be 
commanded on the raid by his son Nawwéaf, even if the prince 
himself took part in the expedition. Young Nawwaf was more 
fiery than his prudent father, who was too considerate of the 
lives and health of his warriors. They expressed their wish 
in the above ditty. 

The camel rider is Nawwaf. The raiders were assembled 
by an-Niri. Semdh is the term for a hard plain where there 
are no impediments to the swift movements of the horses. 
Elja’ telaken is said of the mares of the Rwala and also of 
their opposing enemies. Narztk stands in the Sammar dialect 
for the nabrik, we wish or desire thee, of the Rwala. After the 
power of the Sammar emir, Eben Rasid, had collapsed in 1906, 
many of his negroes went to an-Nuri. ‘Ammana, ‘our uncle,” 
is Prince an-Nuri himself, for the negro addresses his master 
with the word ‘ammi, “my uncle.” 


Jad “azejb 74 marhi-l-gerir 

7a Sowk mardi al-wasdm 

muhli-l-aguz min al-genin 
jd-lli swibak mad jandm. 


O ‘Azejb! O thou who slackenest the rein, 
O darling of her who is tattooed with dye, 


518 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Thou deprivest an old woman of her only son, 
O thou by whose hand the wounded finds no restful sleep! 


' “Azejb eben Mow‘ed is a Rwejli hero. He slackens the rein 
to let his mare take him into the midst of the enemy. A genin 
is an only son of an aged mother. 


Ja htejl wa’ kalbi rada’ 
ma bén dlejjel w-ar-ratu‘ 
ja htejl. low tasufaha 

mda telbes al-meltam dali. 


O Htejl! ah! my heart is wandering 
Between Dlejjel and the mare Rati’. 
O Htejl! shouldst thou ever see her, 
She wears no veil but keeps her mouth free. 


The youth is to take part with his mare, Rati‘, in a raid of 
at least a month’s duration; but, hating to part for that length 
of time from his sweetheart, Dlejjel, he complains to his com- 
rade, Htejl. Ratu‘ is a species of the kbe7e breed. Meltam is 
a large kerchief, folded under the chin and sometimes pulled 
by women and girls up to their noses, thus forming a sort 
of veil. A dalu* is a woman who never covers her mouth. 


Wagdi ‘ala-r-rab% sanad 
tannab ar-rad% jasih 

zaban al-hsdn elja’? balad 
ar-rab% éassab al-medth. 


My desire takes me after Sanad ar-Rabii, 

As soon as the herdsman’s high voice gives the alarm. 
He defended the stallion when he stopped from exhaustion. 
Ar-Rab‘i was a raider of great fame. 


Sanad ar-Rab‘i, the famous Sammari war chief of the 
Rba‘ clan, rode a mare whose endurance surpassed that of 
any stallion. When, in a long fight, the strength of even the 
most powerful stallion was so far gone that he exposed both 
himself and his rider to the danger of capture or death, it 
was Sanad who, appearing in the nick of time on his mare, 
rescued the rider and the stallion too and never failed to 
return with booty. When giving the alarm cry the herdsman 
or watchman holds the palm of his left hand before his mouth 
and shakes it, at the same time prolonging the vowels. In his 


WAR AND PEACE 519 


right hand he holds his staff or a rifle, to which he ties his 
kerchief for a flag, and points it in the direction of the 
threatening danger. Hsdn always means a stallion, faras a 
mare, lejl horses in general. The hsén is, as a rule, more 
enduring than the mare. Al-hsdn balad means “the stallion 
became tired,” implying that he stopped moving owing to 
oversweating or because he was so weakened by heat and 
thirst that he could not escape from the enemy hard in pur- 
suit of him. Zaban, he protected, took his part. He that is 
threatened with death or is in fear of an avenger asks the 
protection of one more powerful, who will then shield and 
bring him to a place where he can live in peace, zabaneh. 


Ja ‘eqal dukki-l-barud My sons, pound the powder; 
lel-morrebi muhh al-hadid For al-Morrebi we need steel, 
la budd min jowmen jad And the day is sure to come 
jafrok wadiden ‘an wadid. Which will take the lover 


from his sweetheart. 


A Turkish officer, known to the Rwala only by the name 
of al-Morrebi, was in command of the regular troops who 
drove back the Bedouins whenever they tried to encamp in 
the settled territory. This happened in the seventies of the 
last century, when it was the policy of the Turkish Govern- 
ment to protect the fellahin from the Bedouins. The Rwala, 
who had lost many men, thirsted for revenge and as they 
could go neither to Syria nor to Irak they manufactured their 
powder themselves. Muhh al-hadid is steel. They wished to 
shoot al-Morrebi with a steel bullet, thinking that an ordinary 
one of lead would not kill him. 


Narmi-l-‘asa benhurhen lat-tejr 
w-en kankabb al-adnas wara? 
bemsenselaten san‘ahen bed-dejr 
berkab ‘adlat al-gena’. 


Before the throats [of the she-camels] we shall throw 
their supper to the birds of prey, 

Though the base one still lingers behind; 

With spears adorned with chains made at ad-Dejr 

[Driven] into the necks of mares fed from the new crop. 


Benhirhen means the confusion of galloping camels and 
also their throats. Our riders are loath to retreat; they want 


520 RWALA BEDOUINS 


to knock down the enemy blocking the way in front of their 
she-camels. The word kankabb (or kankab) is used of a rider 
who pretends to repair something in order that he can stay 
in the rear. If his comrades are getting the best of the fight, 
he, too, joins in, but otherwise he makes his escape. The honor 
of such a man is stained, he is an adnas, a base or filthy one. 
MSenSeldt are spears adorned at the ring between the shaft 
and the spear blade with tiny chains which tinkle at every 
movement of the rider. Ad-Dejr is a town on the right bank 
of the middle Euphrates. 


Jad dib 7a dib an-nefid 
sawwet ‘ala dib al-galad 
er at-tijadha bes-sentd 

ma bén as-sajeb w-al-walad. 


O wolf! O thou wolf from the Nefid! 

Say to the wolf of the rocky desert: 

“Behold those wandering in the upper part of the valleys, 
What a throng is there of old men and youths, too!” 


The repulsed and defeated enemy hide in the gullies inter- 
secting the rocky desert. Nefid (pl., nifd) means sand, a sand- 
covered country, a sandy desert; galad, stone, rock, or a rocky 
desert. Senid signifies that the enemy is fleeing upstream. 


Ja hzum w-ehleb lel-faras 
jedkar abu madjele lafa’ 
haradjeb ma bah mandgi 
w-lad bah ‘ala-l-gaéhel hafa’ 
abri ‘alejha nathat al tajjar 
w-al-elem elja’ kilteh wafa’. 


O Hztm! draw milk for my mare, 

For it is said Abu Majele has arrived, 

And the wars to come are no secret, 

Not even from a fool concealed; 

That is why I will attack Al Tajjar on her, 
And what I foretell will doubtless occur. 


Abu Majele negotiated with Eben Smejr and Eben Tajjar ° 
about the settling of various mutual complaints but without 
success. After his return it became evident that war with 
Eben Smejr and his followers was inevitable. Al Tajjar, famous 


WAR AND PEACE 521 


for his personal bravery, was in command of the hostile troops. 
—It is seldom that camel’s milk is given to a mare except 
in the time of the greatest abundance and then only when 
preparations are being made for a difficult raid. Gahel does 
not mean precisely silly but, rather, imprudent or indifferent 
to everything, a Jack-of-all-trades and master of none. 


Was ‘dd low radd an-neka’ |farhdn 
w-jesuf nafseh zajede 
narwi-l-ralab wa-mdallekdt az-zan 
w-nuawwedeh Sawdjedeh. 


And what if Farhan returns our good name 

And boasts of his greatness? 

We shall give drink to the ostrich feathers and spear blades 
And shall make him accustomed to what is already his wont. 


Was ‘dd (correctly, w-aj7j §aj ‘dd), what happens?, occasionally 
wsu, what?, is said. Farhan’ eben Hdejb was the father of 
Bargas, the chief of the “Ebede. Jesvif nafseh zajede, grows 
conceited, arrogant. Mdallekdt are the blades and zdn the 
shafts of spears. The spears are often adorned in their upper 
part below the blade with ash-gray ostrich feathers. The blood 
flowing down from the blades will give drink to them. Farhan 
eben Hdejb allied himself with other tribes, thinking to over- 
come the Rwala in this manner. Till then he had always been 
defeated. Ged‘An eben Gandal, an-Niuri’s father-in-law, in com- 
posing this ditty urged the Rwala to cure Farhan of his conceit 
and make him accustomed to another defeat. 


Jad drajyjem wa-sufak bedin 
sab‘an w-ld-nt behdlana 
ganneb ‘an as-sejyhed jemin 
nabri nacil ‘ejdlana. 


OQ Drajjem! I see thou art well fed indeed, 
Satiated, too; thou farest not as we do — 
Thus go to the right of as-Sejhed 

For we want to load supplies for our children. 


Once when the Rwala had to travel to Kerbela (pronounced 
by them ‘Karbala”’) to buy supplies for their children — for | 
the Turkish regulars prevented them from entering Syria — 
Drajjem eben Haddal, the leader of the ‘Amarat, with a strong 


522 RWALA BEDOUINS 


army, attempted to block their way. Refusing to let them 
pass, he was defeated and killed. This affair took place south 
of Kerbela, at the end of the escarpment Tar as-Sejhed. 


Ja tdresen leben haddél 
jyizbel ‘ala-l-ma’? w-ar-rabt 
bén al-obejjez w-al-radaf 
beshejleten nalab gamit. 
Thou who goest to Eben Haddal, [ask him] 
To approach the abundance and water. 
Between al-Obejjez and al-Radaf 
‘On the plain there we shall play together. 


The Rwala invited Eben Haddal, the head chief of the 
‘Amarat, to come to the inner desert, jeSarrez, and there to — 
meet them between the valleys of al-Obejjez and al-Radaf, 
both of which belong to the ‘Amarat and where the herds of 
the Rwala were grazing at that time. This region was full of 
water, annuals, and perennials; and hence abundance, rab, 
reigned there. 


Approaching the Enemy 


If no report comes in from the ‘ujéin, the commander 
rides without stopping to the night quarters where the “urUn 
always wait for him. But should the commander see a troop 
of riders who on coming closer are found to be enemies, 
there ensues a fight the result of which decides whether 
the raiders shall return or go on with their venture. If the 
‘ujun find a better place for the night’s rest, the leader 
accepts it. There they water and feed the horses, let the 
camels graze, and prepare supper for themselves. As a rule 
five or six men club together for that purpose. The different 
groups invite each other with the words: “We invite you, 
O brothers of ours! let him who comes reach out for the 
luck, and may he fare well who remains seated! al-hwa 7a 
hwijana eflah min g@ w-ersed min ka‘ad.” 

The invited answer: “May booty be our food arid another 
such supper, and also may we be not too long absent from 
our kin! hwa min rana w-tana? w-g@ haleh mad twanna.” ' 
All are eager for booty and an early, happy return to their 
families in order soon to make a new raid and again to in- 
vite their brothers to a supper like the last. 


WAR AND PEACE 523 


After midnight the leader sends out the scouts, ‘ujiin, 
once more and repeats this till he comes near the camps and 
herds of the tribe he wishes to attack. 

When the ‘ujtin report that the enemy is close by, at 
a command from the leader six or eight men mount three 
or four camels and go to examine the situation. These are 
called sabr (pl., sbuér). Concealing their camels in a gully, 
they find out in the daytime how many camps there are in 
the neighborhood and where the camels are grazing; at night 
they try to count the tents and horses in the camp. If they 
succeed in capturing one of the enemy, they bring him to 
the leader, who makes him tell, by kindness or, if necessary, 
by threats, all he wants to know. Otherwise he must depend 
merely on the report, ‘elem, brought by the sabr. 

Having learned the strength of the enemy and the loca- 
tion of their pastures, the leader examines the camels of his 
own party. The exhausted or slow animals are separated from 
the hardy and fast ones. The former (called radd) are then 
laden with all the baggage of the raiders and sent back to 
the previous night’s quarters where they are to wait. The 
rest of the camels are then mounted each by two men armed 
with rifles. They are called sdbiir. Each horse is mounted by 
aman carrying a revolver or pistol and, when possible, a spear. 
The leader rides on horseback in front. Near the camp they 
conceal themselves. The cavalry prepare for the attack, rara, 
while those on camels wait quietly for whatever may happen. 


The Attack ia Counter Attack 


The attack is timed either for sunrise, sabbahnahom 
sabbah, when the left forelegs of the resting camels are being 
unfettered, or for the zgaha, i. e. when the herds start for 
the pasture. Hhtafa is an attack made in the middle of the 
afternoon; swélme, an evening attack, when the herds are 
still scattered over the pastures; an attack on the herds re- 
turning from the pasture is called rdra ta‘labijje; when they 
have already: returned to the camp, but are still unfettered, 
an attack known as rdra dakka is made. All these attacks 
are considered honorable, because the attacked party has time 
for defense. In daytime they can see and hear; after sunset, 
not being yet asleep, they can hear; after midnight, however, 
and especially when the morning star appears, they are sound 


524 RWALA BEDOUINS 


asleep. Both men and dogs sleep under cover in order to protect 
themselves against the dew and chill. An attack launched at 
this time is called bejdt and is dishonorable, as the surprised 
enemy cannot defend himself. 

The order to attack is given by the leader with the words: 
“Gain success, O ye looters! eflehi jad rdnimin,” and by a 
gesture of his hand to the cavalry to advance. For their part 
they shout: “O Allah, by Allah himself!” or: “O Allah, thy 
will be done! jd-llah ‘ala bdbak,”’ and throw themselves on 
the herds without paying attention to the herdsmen. Every 
one tries to reach an animal with his spear, calling at the 
same time on his comrades to witness that it was he who 
captured it; he then drives it before him to a second and 
third, which he also makes his own. A long spear is very useful 
in this kind of work. Sometimes they succeed in surrounding 
and capturing all the herds, but usually some of the camels 
shy and gallop away madly. These animals can never be over- 
taken by the attackers unless they run towards their last 
quarters, for frightened camels will not stop until quite ex- 
hausted. 

The captured herds are driven by the cavalry to the 
leader,. who waits for them with the camel riders. There the 
cavalry divides. One half, armed with spears, drives the booty 
to the last quarters, the other, armed with revolvers, pistols, 
and rifles conceals itself in some suitable spot between the 
leader and the camp of the enemy. These hidden warriors 
are called cemin, the reserve. 

Both the reserve and the leader with the camel riders, 
sabir, wait for the counter attack, faz‘a, which the enemy 
usually makes in order to rescue the captured animals and 
to drive the raiders back. The task of the camel riders, sdbir, 
consists in opposing the sortie, and in this they are supported 
by the reserve in their rear. If the sortie is beaten back and 
the enemy dispersed, the sdbur fall on the camp, taking all 
the tents there with everything in them. 

However, it is only on rare occasions that the enemy 
can be taken wholly by surprise, because the chief of every 
camp follows the rule of sending out riders on camels, called 
tullu‘, to observe the country on all sides. They usually start 
before sunrise, ascend the highest hillocks, survey the neigh- 
borhood in all directions, and do not return till after sunset. 


WAR AND PEACE 525 


Should the pastures be more than twenty kilometers from the 
camp, the herds are accompanied by a troop of cavalry, ganab, 
who stay with them all day and also return only after sunset. 
Besides this, on all the highest elevations at different points 
around the pastures and between them and the camp, sen- 
tinels lie hidden behind piles of stones. These keep a sharp 
outlook for anything suspicious that may appear on the horizon. 
If something unusual is noticed by one of the mounted pickets, 
tullu’, he ties his kerchief to the muzzle of his rifle, waves 
it in the direction of whatever has aroused his suspicion, and 
shouts at the top of his voice: 

“At their backs, O riders, an attack threatens you! zhaw- 
rahen [sic] jd-hla-l-hejl ‘alejkom rdara.” 

This shout is repeated and the direction indicated by the 
next sentinel, so that the whole camp is put on its guard in 
a few minutes. The girls and women hasten to open the iron 
fetters on the mares’ forelegs, while the men put on cartridge 
belts and seize their rifles. One rider after another speeds 
in the direction from which the danger is expected, sing- 
ing hda ditties on the way. Those who own no mare wait, 
weapons in hand, for the next report. If the alarm cry, sijdah, 
proves false and thus that the man who gave it, sdyeh, called 
for help, fazza‘ al-‘arab, unnecessarily, the sentinel shouts: 
“Forgiveness, al-“dfje,” and the cavalry who came out return 
home in groups, singing. But if the enemy really appears and 
is near at hand, the warriors who have no horses run from 
the camp afoot to help the cavalry. In case the enemy flees 
and the cavalry cannot overtake them, they return to the 
camp, pick their riding camels from among the herds, saddle 
them, load them with water bags and food, and start as the 
talab in pursuit of the hostile troop. 

Should the rescuing cavalry who make the counter attack, 
faza, find out that the attackers are too numerous, they dis- 
patch messengers to the neighboring camps, who shout from 
afar: “Come out to our help quickly! Your comrades have 
been robbed! efza‘% rab‘akom wuhedu.” As this cry is repeated 
by the sentinels of the other camps or by the herdsmen, it 
is often unnecessary for the messenger to reach the camp 
itself. He stops and waits for the first riders to respond to 
his call, and with them he then gallops to assist his people. 

If, for instance, Eben Sa‘lan is informed that a strong 


526 RWALA BEDOUINS 


enemy is approaching, he orders all his tribal divisions to get 
ready. Soon troop after troop headed by their chiefs arrive 
at his camp, defile before his tent, je‘arztn, and shout their 
battle cry: 

“Before thine eyes, ‘agndk, O chief! The rider protecting 
the ‘Alja camel herds rides before thine eyes, and that rider 
is a Rwejli, ‘ajyndk hajjal al-alja rwejli.” 

The battle cry, nahdwa, uttered before the chief is in- 
tended to rouse both his courage and that of his warriors, 
jesiddin mahzam as-sejh w-jukawwin (sic) ‘azmahom. As a 
proof that they will not desert their fellow tribesman they 
defile before him on horseback; this is called ‘arza. The ‘arza 
is always connected with the nahdwa. Without a nahdwa there 
is no ‘arza. 

Whenever Eben Sa‘lan sets out to rescue his captured 
herds, he shouts to the enemy from afar: 

“Oh, how many times have we freed herds like these from 
enemies like you. The rider protecting the ‘Alja herds is a 
Rwejli! By Allah himself! This day is the most ruinous of 
all days for you. Oh, how far are your kinsfolk from you! 
Ja ma fakkejna mitlehen min mitlekom hajjdai al-alja rwejli 
w-allah hal-jowm akrad al-ajjam ‘alejkom w-ba‘ad ahalkom 
al-jowm ‘aleyzkom. All-of you must perish, your kins will not 
come to help you!” 

If the victorious attackers expect a second counter attack, 
faza, stronger in numbers, before hiding themselves their 
cavalry defile before the commander and the camel riders 
and shout their battle ery: 

“Before thine eyesight, O chief! Before your eyes, O com- 
rades! The rider protecting the ‘Alja is a Rwejli!” 

The commander answers: “We shall not desert each other! 
la hala’ w-la “adam,” and is the first to throw himself on the 
enemy, with the words: 

“Tf Allah grants luck to us we shall capture your mares 
as we have already taken your camels!” for nothing inspires 
the troop so much as the bravery of its leader. On the other 
hand, if he betrays hesitation, all is lost. If the leader on 
his part notices that his men are wavering, he admonishes 
them with the battle cry: 

“Before your eyes, O comrades! The rider protecting ‘Alja 
is I, So-and-So. I fill even heroes with fear, I, So-and-So, 
daar as-sebadja w-ana flan eben flan.” If they answer: “Enough 


WAR AND PEACE 527 


now and grace! kafw w-na‘am,” he is positive that they will 
not desert him. 

If he sees a man fleeing, the leader cries: “Shame on 
thee for running away! Thou art not worthy to mount a she- 
camel! Thy daughter shall not marry lest she bear a scoundrel 
like thee, who desertest thy comrades!’ If more try to run 
away, the leader shouts: “Shame on you, ye runaways! Face 
about, come back, ye are going in the wrong direction!” and 
beats them with the flat of his saber. This is effective. First 
one and then another rejoin him, howling: “At them! At them! 
O So-and-So! say not afterwards that thou hast not seen me 
throwing myself at them! at them! at them! fowkahom ‘alej- 
hom.” If it seems as if the enemy would win, the girls, if 
present, with words and gestures encourage the warriors to 
persevere. With their breasts bared and hair loosened they 
ride on camels where the greatest danger appears, call to 
their friends and to those dear to them, remind them of 
amorous moments spent together, and threaten to join the 
enemy if their own people disappoint them. 

Many, especially the younger warriors, then with the 
left hands raise the hem of their cloaks before their eyes 
and, with the saber or dagger in the right hand, throw them- 
selves on the enemy. During the fight they shout: “Away! 
Tremble! At you! at you! O faithless people! Ye shall not 
escape. We came from afar to get you!” And then the fight 
changes into a series of duels. Personal bravery, though greatly 
limited by the use of firearms, may even now be exhibited. 

If the attackers learn that there is in the camp to be 
assailed a fighter feared for his bravery, they prepare to 
destroy him. The evening before the attack the leader takes 
a cup of black coffee in his hand and says: 

“This cup is filled with the blood of So-and-So. Who 
will drink it?” 

If one of the men present takes the cup and drinks the 
coffee with the words “I am drinking the blood of So-and-So,” 
he is obliged to meet the aforesaid hero in a duel. During 
the fight he asks again and again: 

“QO riders, who of you has seen So-and-So?”’ 

If the hero is not among the fighters on that day, a 
comrade of his will answer: “O thou son of an honorable 
family, he is not here. If he were, thou mayst be sure he 
would not hide from thee. But here is one who will take his 


528 RWALA BEDOUINS 


place. Only come nearer with her [the mare]! Jé walad al- 
halal ma hw hdzer lad éadn hazger md éan ittaka ‘ank hdzer 
min jesedd ‘anneh mar zarrebha gj.” 

But if the hero happens to be present, he says: “Oh, who 
is inquiring for So-and-So? This is he. Thou hast reached 
him. Ja ndseden ‘an fldn hada hw waselt hdzer.” 

The comrades of both warriors then stop fighting, the 
better to observe the result of the duel, muléka’. Both duellists 
first utter the battle cry of their tribe, adding: “Never say: 
‘He has surprised or tricked me.’ Ld tkul ratarni w-bdkni. 
Brace up now and defend thyself! hod hazarak w-enfa‘ halak. 
Oh, how do I frighten heroes! Thou sneeredst at me and thy 
lips are twitching!” A duel always ends with the death of 
one of the warriors. Of the victor the tale quickly spreads: 
“He fought, tandtah, with So-and-So.” 

Whoever catches sight of the chief during the battle and 
longs to defeat him, cries out: “O Allah, help me to defeat 
the chief and I will sacrifice a fat she-camel to thee! 74 allah 
bas-sejh w-fdater.” 

It is a fact that there are still many who drink the blood 
of the stricken enemy. ‘Awde abu Tajeh shouted: “O Allah, 
give Da‘san to me that I may drink his blood!” Da‘san al- 
Hems was a brave Sarari warrior. Meeting him in a battle, 
‘Awde abu Tajeh with a well-aimed bullet swept him from 
the saddle, jumped down on him, and, putting his mouth to 
the wound, drank his blood. Then he cut open his breast, 
tore out the still beating heart, and ate it. | 

A raider who wishes either for his brother or for him- 
self to capture a fine mare on which the enemy is still sitting, 
calls out: “Oh, for the luck of So-and-So! [here he names his 
brother or himself], help me to throw this rider off his mare 
and I will sacrifice a she-camel! 74 bahat flan beha-l-kla‘a 
w-fater.”’ Then he shoots at the enemy, cuts him with his 
sabre or stabs him with his spear, and throws him from the 
saddle, kalla‘eh ‘anha. 

A warrior coming face to face with an enemy by whose 
hand his father, brother, or another relative has fallen, shouts 
at him: “O So-and-So, I wish to avenge my father! ja flan 
ja betardrat abij.” If the other is not afraid he will answer: 
“Away with thee who rememberest a debt and askest for a 
settlement! thasa jd hafz ad-dén w-tdlbeh.” But if he is afraid 
he begs: “I ask thy protection! Shouldst thou refuse it and 


WAR AND PEACE 529 


avenge thy father, the fire of hell will be thy punishment; 
dahilak bén abuik w-an-ndr,” or: “Higher than thy hand is 
the hand of Allah, who is sure to prevent blood flowing from 
this neck of mine.” If the one who is challenged does not feel 
guilty, he corrects the other: “O thou, suspect me not! Seek 
him not with me at any hour of the day or of the night; for 
it was not I who cut his skin and made his son an orphan! 
Ja flan la-tahem ma leh ‘endi medar w-lé sé‘at al-lejl w-lé saat 
an-nahar w-anni ma sakkejt leh gild w-lé ajtamt leh wild.” 
Then, when the avenger looks at him more closely, he may 
answer: “And I do, by Allah, believe it; w-ana ballah Zana‘at.” 

He who sees certain death before him asks for pardon 
in these words: “Give pardon, O rider! emna‘ emna‘ 74 haj7al.” 

The man addressed will answer: ‘Come hither and thou 
wilt save thy neck. Come hither, Allah lies on thee,” or: 
“Dismount before the face of So-and-So”’ — naming himself. 
The suppliant, coming nearer, says: “‘Atni allah, give me 
Allah,” or “Hott ‘alejqi allah, lay on me Allah!” When this 
is done, the pardoned man says: ““Atdni allah w-‘atajteh allah 
‘an al-bowk, he assured me by Allah and I assured him by 
Allah against treachery.”’ 

He then surrenders his arms and most of his clothing 
and receives from his captor either a kerchief or head rope, 
accompanied by the words: “Here, take my kerchief (or my 
rope) and tell any one who approaches thee that thou hast 
been pardoned by So-and-So, hak kzdzti (‘asdbti) w-alli jegik 
habbereh ana mani flan.” 

His mare or she-camel is taken by the victor, mdne‘eh, 
or the latter lets some comrade keep her for him a while 
and returns to the fight. The pardoned one waves the kerchief 
or the rope, crying: “I am the mani of So-and-So.” If both 
himself and his animal are wounded, his pardoner, mdne‘, 
conducts him to his own party where assistance will be given 
him, or else the mdne‘ will allow him to return home at once. 
Should he live too far away, he is furnished with a she-camel, 
water bag, food, and a reliable guide, but must give his word 
of honor to return everything or to give compensation. 

When a comrade of the victor is about to return home, 
jenkes, the victor says to him: “The man who stands before 
thee was pardoned by me. Conduct him to my relatives!’ 

He who asks no pardon while in danger is generally killed, 
elja? ma mana endabah. There are many who hide, concealing 


530 RWALA BEDOUINS 


their arms and clothing among the rocks or in the sand, and 
at night manage to creep to some tent. If they see a little 
boy or girl, they salute the child; if the salutation is repeated 
or if they succeed in entering a tent, they are saved. But if 
the fugitive is seen by an adult man, he may be killed despite 
his crying: “Give pardon! emna‘.” For he should have asked 
for it during the fight, not now, they say. 

Sometimes, however, the commander-in-chief declares that 
no pardon will be given. “O comrades, behold! the granting 
of pardon to them is abolished; 7@ gemd‘a tardhom makti‘ 
al-man* ‘anhom.” 

Frequently the fight lasts many hours. If the attacked 
party succeeds in scattering the horse riders, it then usually 
surrounds all the camel riders, hdlow ‘ala-l-gejs killeh, captures 
them, and starts in pursuit of the raiding party which is 
driving off the captured herds. During the pursuit they en- 
courage each other with the words: “At them! at them! 
fowkahom fowkahom.” Or: “It has come upon them [i. e. 
defeat] é...é... é... Hail, I smell the fragrance of So-and- 
So from their tails. Rahat ‘alejhom rahat é...é...é... 
hejh 74 rihat al-fldne bedijulehen.” Just as he would allow 
nothing to keep him away from the maiden of his heart, so 
he has now to overtake the fleeing enemy. 


After the Attack 


If the rescuing counter attack of the despoiled camp is 
repulsed by the sdbur, camel riders assisted by the éemin, 
reserve cavalry, the reserve starts in pursuit of the scattered 
enemy, while the camel riders surround the camp, take from 
the tents what suits them, roll up the tents, and load all on 
their camels. The women and children suffer no harm; on 
the contrary each woman is given at least one she-camel so 
that with her children she can reach her nearest relatives. 
The girls beg the raiders: “E*klu ‘alejna, give us something 
to fetter,” and the she-camel returned to a girl by a raider 
becomes her property. As the saying is: “A girl’s booty is 
the animals returned to her by the raiders, éasb al-bandt ‘okl 
al-haldl.” Should a raider accidentally rob a tent belonging 
to some fellow tribesman then camping with the enemy, he 
returns either to him or to his wife everything he has taken, 
al-wahama tari’. This is also done when the raiders rob on 


WAR AND PEACE 531 


the march travelers unknown to them and later discover they 
were their friends. ) 

To spend the night in the camp of a friendly clan which 
maintains amicable relations with the plundered clan is not 
allowed. 

The Rwala bury their dead friends; their wounded they 
carry off on their camels, having first bandaged their wounds 
as best they can. To the dead enemy no attention is paid. 
At the same time whoever has swept an enemy from the 
saddle and sees him writhing on the ground is obliged, as a 
man of honor, to help him. Should he kill an enemy in that 
condition, tarth, he would commit a dishonorable deed, ‘ajb, 
in the same manner as he who kills a man he has pardoned, 
or one sleeping, or a woman, or child. Likewise it is considered 
Shameful to attack a related tribe, even if hostile, after the 
appearance of the morning star, bejdt, or to cripple or kill 
captured animals when to escape with them proves impossible, 
feda* bel-halal. 

' The successful bringing of captured herds from a distant 
territory to the home camp is the highest proof of a leader’s 
Sagacity, especially if he undertakes raids against tribes en- 
camped as far as 600-800 kilometers away. A prudent leader 
will at once separate the camel calves from the grown animals 
and have them driven back; he will occupy the more important 
mountain passes and try to retreat through a country where 
the camels will find sufficient pasture. If he returns with 
the booty without any considerable losses, everybody talks 
of booty and success, casab w-saldme, but if the booty is 
taken away from him by some ambushing party on the way, 
the raiders come back, one after another, very much depressed, 
for besides having gained nothing they have lost many com- 
rades, hasdra. If the defiles have been occupied they can march 
and rest at their leisure, for, as they say, “our little brothers 
follow in our tracks, hwijjdna kzabaw atarna.” The troop fol- 
lowing the returning raiders and protecting them against the 
pursuers, falab, is called kazb. 


Returning Raiders’ Songs 
As soon as the returning warriors feel safe, they intone 
ditties, hda’, appropriate to such occasions; elja kfejna nahada’ 
(sic). 


532 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Jad dib 74 dib edra‘dt 
sawwet ‘ala dib al-batin - 
en can ‘ejdlak mezwijjdat 
dunak abu lehje samin 
bsalfa min ¢aff eben satlan 
farak habiben ‘an genin. 


O wolf! O thou wolf of Edra‘at! 

Call for the wolf of al-Batin: 

If thy sons go to bed without supper 

Here, take this fat longbeard ‘ 

Struck by the spear blade of Eben Sa‘lan, 

Who has parted the sweetheart from an only son of 
his mother. 


Near the settlement of Edra‘at, Eben Smejr, head chief 
of the Weld ‘Ali, suffered a great defeat at the hands of the 
Rwala. Al-Batin is the basin east of Edra‘at. Mezwi is a 
supperless man. Genin is an only son. The girl lost her idee 8 
heart, the mother her only son. 


Jad tdresen lel-gandali 
eslam w-sallem ‘alejh 
er* an-na°wasi bel-batin 
wa-mhdrana dagen ‘alejh 
henna hadejna tarahom 
leujun min natri ‘alejh. 


O thou who journeyest to Eben Gandal! 
Hail to thee and greet him! 

Behold an-Na‘wasi in -al-Batin, 

How our young mares have enveloped him 
And how on them we avenged him 

For the eyes of her of whom we now think. 


An-Na‘wasi, a chief of the Sardijje, who camp in the plains 
west of the Hawr4an, allied himself with Eben Smejr and in 
the war that followed killed Hajel, a brother of the chief 
Eben Gandal. But in the decisive battle near Edra‘at an-Na‘waSi 
was surrounded by Eben Sa‘lan’s cavalry, defeated, and killed. 
Dagen ‘alegh: the mares enveloped him in a cloud of dust and 
fine sand whirled up by their furious attack. The wife of 
the fallen Hajel eben Gandal, a famous beauty, called on the 
Rwala to avenge her husband. 


WAR AND PEACE 53 


vo 


Jad drajyjem lahalfat ‘alejk 

hotemt w-akabk al-felah 

min ‘okob ma risak cetir 

—w-al-jowm makstim al-genth. 
O Drajjem! faith, it was measured to thee with the 

Same measure. 

A rap on the nose thou hast got, and thy success is gone. 
Though many feathers thou hast inherited, 
Yet today thy wings are broken for ever. 


Fakk al-gelam ‘ajja jesul 
wa’? direti radaw baha 
esraw Imarat ‘ali zebun 
halawh jalbes tawbaha. 


He opened his shears, refused to attack. 
Ah, they occupied my territory! 
They purchased a caftan for ‘Ali’s wife 
And made him wear her dress. 


Owing to the lack of good rain, there was no pasture in 
the Rwala territory at one time and consequently no affluence, 
dirt ar-rwala mahel-ma baha rabi*, but in the regions inhabited 
by their enemies, the tribe of Sba‘a, the vegetation was luxuri- 
ant, rif. So they agreed among themselves, tawdzaw, to move 
into the Sba‘a territory, dira, and said: 

“We shall go there and encamp near our relatives, the 
“Aneze; ehna ntawaggeh ila had-dira wa-nzel hawdli Zeribna 
‘aneza (sic). If they accept our friendship we shall become their 
friends and conclude peace with them, elja kbalaw suhebna 
sdhebnahom wa-tsdlehna mathom; if they refuse we will fight 
them, w-elja’ md kbalaw as-sulh willa nhdrebhom. Either they 
will take us or we shall take them, drive them out and use 
the pastures in their territory, and thus save our herds and 
our own lives; amma jéhediina w-amma naihedhom wa-nhag- 
geghom w-nara al-mara alli bdirthom wa-nsakkem halalna 
wa-nits.” | 

Remaining steadfast in this resolve, rasabaw ‘ala har- 
raj, they marched into the Sba‘a territory and soon reached 
the settlement of al-Midan, which belongs politically to the 
administrative district of Homs, tab‘ homs. There the Sba‘a 
and Fed‘an tribes were already encamped: and ready to fight. 
The Rwala, halting not far from them, at once formed a war 


534 RWALA BEDOUINS 


camp, tendwahaw mendh. All camel herds were driven into 
one line, and each animal was made to kneel and was fettered. 
The women and children sat down by their herds, while the 
men, posting themselves between them and the enemy, waited 
for the attack. This situation lasted for four days. On the 
fifth day, when a few young camels had already died of hun- 
ger, the Rwala assailed the Sba‘a and Fed‘an with such fury 
that they drove them out from their tents in flight, ‘addaw- 
hom ila wara-l-bujut. Some succeeded in loosening the fetters 
of their camels and in fleeing with them, minhom min kadar 
jetallek ba‘arineh w-inhazam bah ‘ala-l-hala, but others were 
surprised in this act and captured, w-minhom min a‘geltih 
ar-ragal ‘an tatliz haldleh w-hdlaw ‘alejh ar-rwala. The Rwala 
took all the tents with the sheep which they found near them, 
also many horses and camels, and continued to pasture their 
animals in that territory undisturbed until the Sba‘a finally 
made peace with them. The Sba‘a asked ‘Ali al-Fkiki, chief of 
the ‘Ebede division, to join them in assailing the Rwala in 
order to eject the latter from their territory, but ‘Ali refused. 
Then they sang the preceding ditty about him. 

Fakk, he opened, is an insulting allusion to Fkiki. ‘Ali often 
called himself al-gelam, shears, meaning that he would cut up 
any hostile raid. Zebiin is a garment with narrow sleeves, open 
in front along its whole length and reaching down to the ankles. 
It is worn by men over the shirt. Towb is a woman’s shirt of 
blue fabric. 

Jad mhammad ja bedin az-zejf 
rai-l-waide ga? laha 

sliiman ‘ammar leh sebil 

min hufratak wa-dldlaha. 


O Mhammad! O thou who hast sated thyself with the guest 
Who came to the meeting agreed on! 

Sliman has surely well filled his short pipe 

At thy fire and did drink from thy coffeepots. 


Muhammad eben Smejr sent word to his enemy Sliman 
eben MerSed, the head chief of the Kmusa division of the 
Sba‘a tribe, to come for a smoke to his tent. Sliman answered 
that Muhammad should not expect such a guest with much 
pleasure. Shortly afterwards Sliman attacked Muhammad’s 
camp, scattered his warriors, took all his tents with their 
supplies, smoked Muhammad’s pipe, and drank coffee from his 


WAR AND PEACE | 530 


pots. Hufra is the pit in which fire is made in the men’s 
compartment of the tent. 


Sliman law tak‘od wa-tsuf 
al-arfa was gara laha 
bén as-swejda w-al-‘ala 
halgen tadur ‘ejdlaha. 
Sliman, if thou wouldst only sit down and look [thou 
wouldst see] 
By the “‘Arfa herds what has happened to them, 
How between as-Swejda and al-‘Ala 
The she-camels now seek their young. 


Sliman eben Mersed, the chief of the Kmusa, who call all 
camel herds “al-“Arfa,” made a raid against the Rwala but was 
defeated and pursued as far as the inner desert. Then, before 
he could return home, Eben Sa‘lan attacked his camp between 
as-Swejda and al-‘Ala and captured many of his herds. The 
riding camels of Eben MerSed’s troop after returning to camp 
sought for their weaned calves in vain, for the Rwala had 
driven them away. 


Al-mesrefe tartan ratin 
tagawabat hi w-al-‘ala 
eben Saldn acdl surug 
zowden “ala homs w-hama’. 
Al-Mesrefe all the time is jabbering, 
Talking with al-‘Ala 
How Eben Sa‘lan loaded corn at Surtg 
More than he would find in Homs and Hama’. 


Surtg is a settlement between as-Swejda and al-‘Ala, in- 
habited by fellahin who cultivate the fields of Eben MerSed’s 
house. Al-MeSrefe is peopled by Circassians, who also own some 
settlements in al-“Ala. Their language is not understood by the 
Rwala, hence the phrase: “She [al-MeSrefe] is jabbering, tartan 
ratin.” After defeating the Kmusa and plundering Eben Mer- 
Sed’s camp, the victorious Rwala took all the corn stored at 
Surtg. 

Jad labeti tawen sirebt al-kejf 
w-al-cabd galeyna sadah 

min ‘aggeten sdrat ‘alejhom 
bén as-swejda w-al-ala’. 


536 RWALA BEDOUINS 


O comrades mine! now I have drunk of satisfaction, 
Because we have cleansed the stomach of its dirt, 
And that in the cloud of dust that enveloped the foe 
Between as-Swejda and al-‘Ala’. | 


Jd surbaten gat tahtadi 
mad sannadaw gihhdlaha 
‘wa ma ‘addalnadhom w-ajju 
ja ma bata! ‘adddlaha. 


When the troop came, singing its ditties, 

The gay youths did not hold in their mares, 

Oh, how we warned them and still they paid no heed! 
Oh, what hero was even the least of that troop! 


Surba is a troop of ten to twenty riders. Tahtadi: it (lit., 
she) sings the hda’ ditties. Ma sannadaw: they did not hold back 
their mares on meeting a much stronger enemy. Gdhel (pl., gih- 
hal), a gay youth, is a youth between his fourteenth and eight- 
eenth years, who is imprudent and will be neither advised 
nor ‘remonstrated with. Wa’ md has the same meaning as 74 
kutr md, Oh, how much! ‘Addalndhom: we warned them, we 
advised them to hold in their mares and to wait for help, for 
a counter attack, faz‘a, from other camps; but they ‘a77u, re- 
jecting our warning, threw themselves on the enemy. 


Ja tejr ja-lli tdir al-howm 
sallem elja’ git tarhtime 
‘asiraha da‘da° bel-kowm 

telka’ taagib be‘luimeh 

wallaw gemad‘eh rasdkom lowm 
alli ma‘ al-hejd mazmumeh. 


O thou bird of prey, who ever circlest above us! 

A greeting, if thou wilt fly to Tarhime. 

Her darling has shaken the enemy; 

Thou shalt hear news of him to make thee wonder. 
But his comrades fled — Oh, may so many reproaches 
That they make the plain level with the hillside. [cover them 


Hejd is a slope or hillside shutting in a plain. 


Heggi hagig as-sejd mat wagh al-rulma’ 
ma° wagh dasmin al-lha w-as-sawéreb. 


WAR AND PEACE 557 


Run as the hunted beast runs from the face of the 
heroic youth, 

From the faces of those whose beards and moustaches 
are covered with fat. 


Hagg means a panic, helter-skelter flight. Rulma’ or 
sabwa’ are youths from eighteen to twenty years of age, who 
are ever making raids, from which they always return with 
rich booty and then feast on the fat camels they have cap- 
tured until their budding chin beards, lha, and mustaches, 
Sawdreb, shine with fat, dasmin. They are well fed, of great 
endurance, and never abandon the pursuit of the enemy’s 
fleeing mares or camels until they have captured them. 


Songs of Booty 


~ The returning victors are not,met by the women or girls 
of the camp. When near they break into songs of booty. 


1. Jowmen wald al-hejs jabha mazza‘eh 
wa? mad katana lejleten harmesizje 
wa? haj ja lallah wa? haz 74 lallah. 
2. Jad naseden ‘anna min ajje Zebile 
“eqal ar-rwejgli min ahjar al-hamajel 
Pet. i. 
3. Howfdn azg-zgulma@’ marawir azg-zgaha’ 
nowda‘ ‘ala cabd al-ma‘ddi debdajel 
Via Ot re 
4. Elja-ddejt maghidi w-maghid fdateri 
ma-ni ‘ala-d-dinja éetir al-hasdjef 
RODE 2. 
1. While the idler shook up his bed, 
Hey! through how many dark nights have we ridden! 
Hey! glory be and by Allah himself! 
2. O thou who askest about us of what tribe we were, 
(Know that) we are descendants of the Rwala, counted 


among the best of tribes. 
Hey! glory! 


3. Like thieves in a dark night, like attackers after the 
passing of the dew 
We are wont to plant ulcers in the enemy’s stomach. 
Hey! glory! 


538 RWALA BEDOUINS 


4. If I risk my vigor and that of my old she-camel, 
Then, faith, I have not much in the world that I should 
Hey! glory! mourn. 


Verse 1. Mazza° means, properly, the spot where sexual 
intercourse takes place. 2. The hamiile is larger than the ahl, 
and is almost like the Zebile (see above, p. 47). 3. Debdjel: ulcers 
or abscesses. Such growths in the stomach make eating un- 
pleasant and interfere with digestion. The fear of thieves and 
assailants robs a man of his appetite and the pleasant sen- 
sation of digestion. 


Ja ma kata‘na dinehen min zerdze 
tarmi beha ferz al-gwdzi ‘ejdlaha 
WE Ay ee 
Oh, how many plains vast and scorched we had to cross 
before we captured them, 
Where even a stray gazelle which suffers not from 
Hey! glory! thirst will miscarry. 


Zerdée are vast, waterless plains. Gwdzi are gazelles which 
never taste water. FerZ means an animal which has become 
separated from the herd, has gone astray. Such a one will 
loose the fruit of its womb from exhaustion. 


The Raiders’ Home-coming 


Once in the camp every man makes straight for his tent, 
driving or leading his booty. From behind the tents the women 
and girls watch them greeting their friends as they pass: 

“Strength to thee! kaw flan.’ Answer: 

“QO greeting to thee! 7@ hala.” 

“QO Allah, grant him life!’ Answer: 

“May Allah grant life to thy dear ones!” 

“This booty be thy consolation, talak hal-fowd.” Answer: 

“For thy consolation, and mayst thou capture still more! 
talak wa-tfid.” 

Sometimes the raider is asked for a gift with these words: 
“Prove that thou esteemest me! al-hazijje.”’ If he answers: 
“Rejoice over this gift, bess behal-atijje,” the suppliant may 
be sure of receiving something. 

Their relatives invite the raiders to stop for a meal with 
them. “Have it good for once, have it good, ye booty getters! 


WAR AND PEACE 539 


Loosen your spittle! Look at the abundance! The dire oath rests 
on you!” Should they be reluctant to accept the invitation, they 
usually declare their readiness to have the oath rest on them 
and continue on their way. (On the gire oath see above, p. 460.) 
But if some’ one implores them with the words: “The ire 
oath of the slave RaSed rests on you, ‘alejkom girat al-abd 
rased,” they must stop and eat something. Who the slave 
RaSed may have been, nobody knows. It is said of him that 
he was most hospitable and even forced travelers to eat 
with him. 

Within three days after his return either the leader or 
the man appointed by him offers the customary sacrifice, 
‘azire. He kills a she-camel and exclaims: 

“Q Allah, this is our custom! This belongs to the face 
of Allah and to the face of our ancestor! Jd-llah hadi ‘ddatna 
hadi liwagh allah w-liwagh geddina.” Every kin reveres its 
ancestor but never knows at what period he lived or where he 
was buried. The blood of the sacrificed animal is caught into 
the bulging iron sheet used for baking bread, sdg, and with 
it the humps of the captured animals and the necks of the 
riding camels are besmeared. This is done in order to make 
sure of fresh booty. 

A boy who has taken part in his first raid and brought 
back booty with him tries to buy a goat or a sheep in order 
to sacrifice it. Its blood he then sprinkles over his booty, 
dbiha rusts al-cdseb; if a she-camel, he besmears her whole 
hump, if a mare, her whole forehead. From the tail of the 
captured mare he cuts a lock of hair, which he hangs up in 
his tent. This he does with every horse he captures to let all 
the guests know how many he has already taken; this custom 
is called Sedeb. 

After the return from a raid the story of who has fallen, 
where, and in what manner, quickly spreads. The female rel- 
atives of the slain men then walk out of the camp to a 
distance whence even a loud cry cannot be heard, there to 
bewail their dead. 

A mother cries: “Alas, woe is me! alas, my child! alas, 
woe is me! alas thou whom I bore in my womb! alas, woe is 
me! alas, thou little son of mine! Wa’? wajli wa’? waledi wa’ 
wajli wa genini wa wajli wa? bunajja.” 

A wife cries three times: “Alas, woe is me! ah, ruined is 
my tent! wa’? wajli wa? hadem bejti.” 


540 RWALA BEDOUINS 


A sister cries three times: ‘‘Alas, woe is me! alas, thou 
brother of mine!’ 

A daughter: ‘‘Alas, woe is me, alas, thou father of mine!” 

Then they sit down, cry till their eyes are dry, and return 
quietly to their tents. There is no other mourning. 


LARGE BATTLES, OR MANAH 


The fight called mandh, as distinguished from the razw 
or raid for booty, is very different. When a stronger tribe 
wants to possess itself of the territory of a weaker or to in- 
crease its fame, zowd al-i‘tibdr, it moves with all its herds 
and tents into the territory occupied by the latter, sdl “alejh 
sowla, and finally encamps near the main camp of the enemy. 
The tents form as arule two long rows, which behind the herds 
eraze; in front of them, within rifle shot, stands the tent of 
the leader and a few others belonging to his retinue. In these - 
few tents there is nothing except the utensils for making black 
coffee, meals being prepared in the tents behind. All the mares 
stand saddled by these war tents, bujut al-harb, while the rid- 
ing camels lie fettered between the other tents. The men on 
foot are posted right and left of the war tents. Before the 
attack, the men on foot sometimes hide~by*the war tents. 
The cavalry attempts to drive the enemy to them and within 
rifle shot. Before the attack the tribal emblem Abu-d-Dhir is 
fastened to a camel which walks in the midst of the bravest 
youths on horseback. These warriors are accompanied by the 
prettiest women and girls of the camp, who, with their bosoms 
bared and hair loosened, keep shouting: 

“He who runs away today shall never receive anything 
from us; wli jesred al-jowm md leh ‘endana hakk.”’ Their 
inspiring high-pitched cries, zardrit, are heard for a great 
distance. In order to raise the courage and steadiness of his 
warriors the chief orders the ‘Atfa, a fancy litter, to be placed 
on a she-camel and the handsomest of the girls to take her 
place in it. Throwing off her kerchief the maiden loosens her 
hair, unfastens the string holding together the dress under 
the throat, and seats herself in the litter. Her female compan- 
ions, likewise, mount she-camels and shouting zardrit hasten 
to join the melée in order to encourage their relatives and | 
friends. If it is impossible to withstand the superior strength 
of the enemy, they call out to the girl on the ‘Atfa to conceal 


WAR AND PEACE 5AI 


herself, as the capture of the ‘Atfa by the enemy would mean 
the greatest disgrace for both the reigning kin and the whole 
tribe. Thereupon the girl on the ‘Atfa drives her animal to 
her father’s tent, makes it kneel here, and either jumps off, 
unbuckles the litter, and pulls it inside the tent, or flees with 
it from the camp. 

When the tribe is attacked while migrating and the women 
driving the camels laden with all their household. goods fear 
that the enemy may rob them — the men, meanwhile, being 
engaged in repelling the attackers — they beg every passing 
rider to defend them, and the girls, especially, at the top of 
their voices, call out the names of their sweethearts: 

“Bring me So-and-So, ye men! Call So-and-So hither, ye 
who like to amuse yourselves with girls! I want So-and-So, 
him of whom all talk!’ 

If a man passes by whom the woman expects to help her, 
she cries: “Thou wert praised to me so highly, and yet I have 
not seen thee do anything today.” 

When a lover reaches the woman of his heart, she breaks 
into an inspiring shout, uttering in a high-pitched tremulous 
voice the syllables of the word zardrit. The lover greets her: 

“Oh, how I rejoice before thine eyes! 7@ md ‘ajnéé wa- 
frahi,” or: “To thy joy, O So-and-So! farhateé ja fldne.” 


Ditties Sung by Defenders of Their Camps 


While speeding through the camp or the moving throng 
in order to repel a hostile attack the men sing short ditties. 


Ja rabb natlobak al-huda’ 
w-as-sitr w-al-‘elm al-malih 
rab%i meddbis al-“uda’ 

w-en harrafaw ‘enda-t-tarih. 


O Lord! we beg thee for a lucky guidance, — 

For protection and good news! 

My comrades, cudgels for the enemy, 

Will not turn their mares save when a rider is thrown 
from his saddle. 


They pray to Allah for lucky leadership and favorable 
news about the position of the main force of the enemy, that 
_ they may attack at once and thus avoid being taken on the 


542 RWALA BEDOUINS 


flank. Dabbis is a heavy wooden staff, about 120 centimeters 
long. Meddbis (sing., medbes) are youths armed with such 
staves. They beat the enemy with the staves, pursue those 
who flee, and if they turn their mares in another direction it 
is only to save a comrade swept from his saddle. Harrafaw: 
turned their mares about for a new attack, tahrif. Tarth is a 
rider thrown from the saddle. He is usually seriously wounded 
and calls to his comrades to help him. It is considered dis- 
honorable, a shame, ‘ajb, to give a tarih the finishing stroke. 


Jad rabb 7a rabb ar-rahim 
tarmi-l-haja bidijgarana 
narmi-l-asa lalli gahim 
laujtin gillen bikdrana. 


O Lord! our gracious Lord! 

Thou wilt pour forth a copious rain on our lands, 
Whilst we shall pour forth a supper for the circling birds, 
Before the eyes of our big she-camels. 


Haja are abundant rains which assure a luxuriant growth 
of annuals. If the latter cannot thrive, it is because there has 
been no haja, and no affluence, rabi‘, will follow. Dire means 
territory belonging to one tribe or subject to one emir. Thus 
Eben Sa‘td is obeyed by many different tribes, and their terri- 
tories all form the diret eben sa‘tid. The Rwala eat to satiety 
only once a day — in the evening — and therefore use the word 
‘asa, Meaning supper, to express a meal in general. Jahim, 
it circles, is used of a white vulture with reddish wings and 
yellow beak. It accompanies the warriors on almost all their 
trips and flies above the battle ground untiringly. Gill are 
strong, big she-camels. The enemy tries to capture them, but 
their defenders come in time to repel the attack. 


Habbi lana hbub ar-rih habbi lana 
elja’ ma tekamel hejlana. 


Blow luck to us, O wave of the wind! blow, 
Until our riders are assembled. 


The first riders on reaching the attacked herds must, 
together with the herdsmen, repel the first attack of the 
enemy; therefore they appeal to the breeze to be favorable 
to them, for, if they have to fight against the wind which 


WAR AND PEACE 543 


blows dust and sand in their faces, they are at a great dis- 
advantage compared with the enemy. But as soon as they are 
overtaken by all the cavalry, they can attack the enemy from 
the rear too and the direction of the wind will not matter. 
The blowing of the wind also means the blowing of success, 
or the fortune of war. 


Esrefu mizaze 
w-enabu tejraha 
dirat hajji w-la 
arid ana rejraha. 


Climb the hill from which we are wont to give the alarm 
And by your cries summon the wild beasts of this terri- 
It is the territory of my tribe [ tory. 
And no other I desire. 


The enemy intend to drive away the tribe from an im- 
portant watering place. A girl calls on the men to climb in- 
stantly a high cone and by alarm cries and various signals to 
attract the attention of outlying camps which could send help. 

Mizaze are the tallest cones rising near the camp, from 
the top of which warning signals can be sent to the herdsmen 
and sentinels of other camps, posted on similar hills. En‘abi 
means the harsh cry with which the person giving the alarm 
ends his call. The word tejr in this ditty is used not only for 
the falcon but for any bird of prey. 


Sahrén ma ganni ‘alam 

w-asuf as-sulta misterih 

ja wagh ad-dib en tala’ ar-ra‘jan 
adnahom w-aksdhom Jesih. 


For two months, now, I have received no news [of a 
: hostile raid] 
And I see that the war chief entrusted with the highest 
power is resting. 
Oh, the face of a wolf! when the herdsmen behold it, 
Both near and far cry out in alarm. 


In the wars with Muhammad eben Smejr Prince Sattam 
was entrusted not only with the chief command but also with 
all political power. In a few raids he expelled the enemy from 
the disputed territory; whereupon the Rwala camped there 


544 RWALA BEDOUINS 


undisturbed for two whole months, as the enemy did not dare 
to make a new attack. It was during this time that this ditty 
was composed. 

Sulta signifies a war leader who in times of ee greatest 
danger also takes over the functions of the head chief. Sattam, 
who succeeded in terrifying the herdsmen allied with Muham- 
mad eben Smejr, is meant here by the word sulta and also 
by dib, wolf. 


Ja-hl-as-sebaja zhtirehen 
nada-l-munddi bel-felah 
lag at-tarth benhtrehen 
Serbi naka‘ ‘okb al-melah. 


O ye plunderers! mount on their backs, 

The call has gone forth for success. 

He who is thrown from the saddle will slide down 
their throats, 

And this will be to me a sweet drink after salt water. 


The enemy had long been harassing the herds but was 
never seen in time, so that help always came too late. At last 
the guard sighted him before he found the herds. As soon as it 
was reported in the camp, the rescuing troop hastened against 
him, fondly hoping to surround him and take all his horses 
and she-camels, in this manner tasting a sweet drink. 


Jd-lli tlowbed bes-Se%b 

ma ‘endana illa sab‘akom 
narmi-l-asa lad-dih al-atwak 
w-natrah zatdet rabsakom. 


O ye who creep through the valley! 
We have nothing for you but terror. 
We shall throw you for supper to a wolf with a dea 
streaked with gray 
And shall cast down him who guards your clothes and 
camels. 


The thieves leave their clothes and camels —if they have 
any—under the guard of one of their comrades called Za%de 
and crawl on their bellies to the tents. Dih atwak is an old 
dog or wolf whose neck is growing gray. 


WAR AND PEACE 545 


Ja hdajefin min al-mandja 
min gdh melek al-mowt mat 
al-mowt ma fakk as-sabaja 
jahod randdir al-bandt. 


O ye who fear death! [know] 

That he whom the death angel visits dies. 

Death, however, cannot free captured she-camels 

Yet can take those who always linger with the girls. 


Randdir are elegant youths who from love of the girls 
remain at home instead of going out on raids. 


Jad hajefin min al-mandja 
al-mowt ma ga leh nadir 
al-howf md fakk al-habdri 
w-lad tawwal al-omr al-kasir. 


O ye who fear death! [know] 

That death is not preceded by a herald. 

Fear cannot rescue the habdri birds [from the falcon’s 
Nor prolong life, short as it is. talons | 


Jd-hal as-sebaja rusehen 

eljw” ma ‘aman jelhakin 
nakkdlaten surul al-agam 
dabbadhaten ma jarhamin., 


O riders! ye plunderers, pull up the heads of your mares 
Till my uncles come, 

Who are carrying arms of Persian make, 

Who only slay and know not mercy. 


Ahl as-sebdja has the same meaning as ahi al-hejl, horse 
riders who throw themselves on the herds and then drive them 
away as their booty. With rusehen esbetu is understood: “lift 
up the heads of your mares.” In order to stop the galloping 
mares the reins are pulled up short, which makes them raise 
their heads and slacken their pace. They are to wait till over- 
taken by their paternal uncles—that is, by their kinsmen, 
as maternal relatives are not considered kin if not related 
to the father in some other way. The Persian-made weapons 
are mainly swords, broad spears, and daggers. 


546 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Jad labeti ja mhajjelin al-hajl 

tara’-l-azab ‘adeh bala’ 

amma nefukk dijdrana 

w-allah neguz min al-haja’. 
O comrades of mine who let not your mares be covered! 
Behold, yon cripple has been wont to torment us, 
Therefore we either must free our lands, 
Or, by Allah! we shall vanish from life. 


Mhajjelin al-hajl: they leave their mares sterile, so that 
they may fight without anxiety. Al-‘azab, a cripple, was the 
name given to Muhammad eben Smejr, the chief of the Weld 
“Ali and commander of the allied tribes bent on expelling the 
Rwala from their territory. He was called so because his right 
hand had been shot through and was crippled. 


Rdkdan jusawwet bel-manam 

ja min jubasserni beazil 

rab%i muhaddedet lal-gemal 

kassdraten lal-gam‘ at-tadzil. 
Rakan in his sleep calls out: 
“Oh, who will bring me joyful news of ‘Azil?” 
My comrades chained themselves to a camel 
To defeat a mighty troop. 


Rakan eben Meglad led out his DahamSe to resist an 
attack of the ‘Amarat. Recognizing, at last, their inability 
to oppose the superior strength of the enemy, RAkan’s com- 
rades chained themselves to the camel carrying the ‘Atfa 
litter. They fell to a man, the camel was also killed, and the 
‘Atfa taken by Eben Haddal, the commander of the ‘Amarat. 
The dead Rakan was supposed to be urging his son ‘AZil in 
his dreams to take vengeance for this, and expecting all the 
time the joyous news that he was avenged. 


Ja-llah talabnék jda-l-kerim 
ma hw ‘ala éetr al-halal 
ma hw ‘ala mdlen ‘azim 
tarmi fahad walla’ taldl. 
O Allah! We beg of thee, O thou most generous one! 
Not numerous herds, 
Not great wealth, ° 
But only to strike Fahad or Talal. 


WAR AND PEACE 547 


The wife of the fallen Rakan entreats Allah to destroy 
Fahad or Talal of the Eben Haddal kin, who had killed her 
husband. , | 


Tadallahi w-er%? hawdé Leisurely move and graze at will, 
ja hajilen ma* futtari O sterile one with she-camels old! 
w-alli geruddeé ‘an hawdé And should anyone check thee 
hadak ‘elmeh ma jenteri. Pay no heed to reports concern- 
ing him. 
Tadallah means a quiet, unrestricted movement; she can 
go where she pleases, fast or slow. Such a leisurely gait is 
enjoyed especially by the young sterile she-camels, hajel, who 
like to prance and run from one place to another in search 
of the best pasture. They are often joined by she-camels more 
than twenty years old, which, if they bear no longer, are not 
restricted in their freedom. In regions entirely safe such ani- 
mals can scatter far and wide, but in the proximity of the 
enemy they are kept together. The brave warrior tells the 
she-camels to disregard the danger, as he will protect them — 
and if any one should still try to herd them, not to obey 
him. ‘Elmeh md jenteri is said of a man who talks too much. 
The news, ‘elm, he brings is interesting, but nobody believes 
it, mad jenteri. With such a babbler an honest Rwejli should 
have nothing to do, md jatri leh. 


Atan lacajni fateri 
w-atian elja? hab ad-dalil 
en ma hamejteh bel-zena 
ja legt ma ‘omri tawil. 


To rescue my old she-camel I will stab, 

Yea, stab all the more when he becomes afraid who 
does not esteem honor. 

And should I be unable to save her with my spear 

Then, Oh, may I not live long! 


Fater is a twenty-year-old she-camel. Dalil is a man who 
values his health and life above his honor. Seeing that during 
a hostile attack he would have to face superior numbers, he 
fears for his life, hab, and takes to flight, while a man of 
honor stays and tries to replace such a coward by greater 
bravery. Rather than allow his old she-camel to be captured, 
he will die. 


p48 RWALA BEDOUINS 


At‘an lacajni bakraten mis‘af 
wazha’ tezgedd hwaraha 

min fowk sakra ¢annaha-l-hattaf 
w-muaskaran mismaraha. 


I will stab to protect my she-camel with long thick 
hair on the hump, 

Pure white, guiding her young by low murmurs; 

I will stab from the back of a sorrel resembling a wild 

Whose shoe nails are bent inward. [ beast, 


Bakra is a she-camel not yet eight years old. The humps 
of she-camels which have never carried loads or riding sad- 
dles are covered with long thick hair. They also grow very 
fat. Wazha’, a pure white she-camel, is the most prized 
among the Rwala. Hwdr is the name given to a sucking 
camel calf. The careful mother looks back at her young in- 
cessantly and warns it by low and short murmurs not to go 
far away and get lost, tegeddeh. Hattdf is either a wild beast 
or a good hunting hound which attacks its prey without be- 
ing urged. The warrior is mounted on a sorrel which also 
starts in pursuit of the enemy of her own accord. Nothing 
will hold her back, except perhaps the sharp pieces of basalt 
and lava, which may injure her feet. But no such danger 
threatens the mare of our rider, as her shoes are well nailed 
on. The nail passes through the horn of the hoof and is then 
bent inward, mu‘askaran mismaraha, to prevent its loosening 
and falling out. 


Sikhan ta‘dwed lar-ruhul 

jowm as-sabi dawda laha 

tisrah ‘ala-lli jit‘anin 

jowm al-ganab jibra? laha. 
White she-camels of reddish hue accustomed to carry 
As soon as the lad cries ‘daw’ [loads, 
Begin to yearn for those who can stab, 
Knowing that the protecting troop will soon join them. 


Ruhul means the she-camels carrying smaller loads, espe- 
cially the tent and its furniture, on the march. They are usu- 
ally good tempered and will obey the youth whenever he urges 
them in a quiet voice to turn or to stop. The lad, sabi, either 
sits on one of them or walks behind and cries: “Daw, O So- 


WAR AND PEACE 549 


and-So,” calling the animals by their different names. This 
call is termed daw or dawda; the youth jedédi. He urges them 
in this manner especially when there is danger of a hostile 
attack, in order to keep his herd quiet, for otherwise they 
would shy, throw off their loads, and run away. The older and, 
therefore, calmer animals understand at once that danger 
threatens them, and stop and wait till joined, 7ibra’? laha, by 
their protecting troop, ganab. 


Jad najiman ‘an fatereh 
maghuil ‘ajneh bes-sahr 
halubeteh rukibeteh 
gelubeteh jowm ad-danhr. 


Oh, he who sleeps*unmindful of his old she-camel! 
In his heedlessness he keeps not his eye awake 
Over his camel which he milks, which he can ride, 
And sell, too, when want threatens him. 


Najem ‘an has the same meaning as shi ‘an. The watch- 
man sleeps carelessly beside his camels. The word maghil — 
or gdhel is used of a lad from fourteen to eighteen years 
old, who, from thoughtlessness, makes all kinds of mistakes. 
Jowm ad-dahr, or jowm al-mahal, or jowm al-rolla, mean the 
period of want and misery caused by light and irregular 
rains. At such times the younger camels cannot even suffi- 
ciently nurse their sucking young and give no milk for use 
of the owner’s family, thus compelling him to sell the old 
camels in order to buy barley or wheat for himself and his 
children. 


Jad nadjeme nowm al-fahad 
la tez‘edun an-ndjeme 
a‘tu-l-asdjer hakkehen 
w-ar-ruh ma hi dajeme. 
Oh, do not awaken this sleeping one 
Who sleeps the light sleep of the panther; 
Let pregnant camels have their right 
And [remember that] the soul will not remain [in the 
body] forever. 


“ASra°, a camel big with young, sleeps lightly, is easily 
frightened, and just as easily shies. Frightened camels run as 
long as possible and will not stop until completely exhausted. 


550 -RWALA BEDOUINS 


Often they run all day and all night, many of them miscarrying 
in consequence. In our song the defenders of the camels are 
called upon to repel the hostile attack quickly and effectively, 
so that not even one single she-camel may awaken. The 
pregnant camel is entitled to protection, as she is willing to 
give her protector both her calf and her milk. Her protector 
should not be afraid of losing his life. The human soul will 
not remain forever in the human body. A man must die, even 
though he always stay at home in his bed and never take 
part in a fight. 


Ja hagmeten ‘endah harrds 
w-al-mowt ‘end-arkdnaha 
w-ma katana ‘endah min ras 
ma derhamen hirdnaha. 


Oh, the herd sleeping far from the camp under their 
guard’s care! 
Death is circling around them from all sides. 
How many heads we cut off there 
[So quickly that] not even the suckling calves started 
to trot. 


Hagme signifies a herd spending the night far from the 
camp; it is also called ‘azib. Haggamna is equivalent to mrah- 
na, we spent the night. Arkdn are the four corners of the 
world. Min rds is pronounced mir rds. Derham is the camel 
trot. The men guarding the camels repelled a bloody attack 
so quickly that even the timorous calves were not alarmed 
and did not run away. 


Al-alja tar‘a’ bel-hatar 
w-ar-rigl fowk al-matlebe 
henna ¢ema’ sejlen nhadar 
naff al-ada’ bel-megnebeh. 


Our camels are grazing amidst danger; 

[Alien] feet already touch [their] necks, 

But we, we are like a torrent which swiftly rolls 

And carries away all that it gathers up between its 
banks. 


Al-‘Alja is the name given by the Rwala to their herds, 
especially the white ones. He who succeeds in mounting it 


WAR AND PEACE 551 


is surest of capturing a camel when he crosses his legs on its 
neck and guides it by a slight kick of his foot. But if the 
enemy succeeded even in that, the Rwala would throw them- 
selves on them like a flooded creek or torrent, and would over- 
come and capture them. Naff is a torrent which carries away 
everything in its way. ‘Ada’ means both dry or live bushes, 
grass, excrements, dirt, coarse sand, etc., all of which, lying 
generally between the banks or in reach of the torrent, are 
carried away by it. Megneb is the slope shutting in the valley 
through which a creek runs. 


Laujun sikhen rawwahat 

tasma’ baha dann al-garas 

en ma rumejt (sic) ‘abd al-kerim 
jahram ‘aley rkub al-faras. 


For the eyes of the white [camels] of reddish hue who 
have just reached the place of their night’s rest 

And from whom thou hearest a slight tinkling of bells, 

If I do not throw down ‘Abdalkerim, 

May I not be allowed to ride a mare. 


‘Abdalkerim 4l Garba’, the war leader of the Sammar 
camping in Mesopotamia, frequently attacked the herds of 
the Rwala when they were encamped with the ‘Amarat on 
the middle Euphrates. A bell is hung on the neck of only 
a valuable she-camel which is inclined to wander afar. 


Jd labeti hottu ralab 

w-ar-ris mardimen ‘alejh 

qa hejf 7a hatw al-walad 

jinir w-masruhen ‘alejh. 
O comrades mine, [on your spears] tie ash-gray ostrich 
But cover them with the black feathers. [feathers, 


Oh, shame! Many a youth 
Flees and yet all relied on him. 


Ris means the black, ralab the ash-gray feathers of a 
female ostrich. When a youth has distinguished himself in 
repelling an attack, the chief orders his comrades to fasten 
to the spear where the blade is set into the shaft ash-gray 
feathers of a female ostrich and to post it before his tent. 
When people ask in whose honor the spear is placed there, 


552 RWALA BEDOUINS 


they are informed of the youth’s heroism. If during an attack 
an otherwise worthy youth does not stand his ground, the 
gray feathers are covered by black ones as a sign that for 
the first time he has not behaved in a manner befitting his 
honor. Hatw means “many a one.” ‘Alezh Sarha: he was de- 
pended on; kunt masrthen ‘alejgh: I depended on him. 


At‘an lacajni sdhebi 
w-atni latajni ‘andeli 
kalbi rada beh sadhebi 
minni “atizjat gandali. 


To aid my sweetheart I wish to stab, 

And I will stab also to help my thoroughbred mare; 

Of my heart my beloved took possession. 

She received it from me like a Gandal’s gift which is 
never returned. 


‘Andelijje is a thoroughbred white mare; in poetical 
language this expression is used instead of asile. Rada beh 
and ahadeh, he took him, have the same meaning. Anything 
a father has given may be demanded back by the son. However, 
if any member of the Eben Gandal kin makes a gift, nobody, 
as will be explained below, may ask for its return. Therefore, 
he who wishes to make his gift secure, gives it first to a member 
of the Eben Gandal kin, who then hands it to the person for 
whom it was intended. 


At‘an la‘ajni bint eben kublan 

oht alladi zabn at-tarih 

al-ajn ‘ajn musaddar al-ruzlan 

‘asizaha ma jesterih. 
I will stab to help Eben Kublan’s daughter, 
The sister of the defender of one from his saddle thrown. 
Her eye keeps a sharp lookout like a frightened gazelle; 
Her lover will, faith! not have much rest. 


Eben Kublan is the name of a kin of the al-Hsene division, 
Weld ‘Ali tribe. One who assists a comrade thrown from the 
saddle acts honorably, as by doing so he abandons any booty 
he might capture and also exposes himself to the danger 
of being attacked while lifting the fallen man from the 
ground and placing him on his own horse. The gazelles live 


WAR AND PEACE 5D3 


in constant fear and therefore keep a sharp lookout all the 
time. In the same manner the daughter of Eben Kublan 
watches for danger from the enemy and wishes that her 
lover may always be ready to go to her assistance. 


Laujun min labes al-harir 
Sukran dwajeb rdseha 
w-elja’ taldkow bel-wa‘ad 
w-as-sejh bimahdseha. 
For the eyes of her who wears a silk garment 
And has braids of fair hair! 
When men shall meet in the fight appointed by Allah, 
The chief himself will be the first on the battle ground. 


The daughters and wives of the chiefs wear silk kerchiefs. 
Fair hair is rare among the Rwala women; they generally dye it. 
Our beauty with braids of fair hair has a suitor in the person 
of the chief himself, who therefore hastens to her aid when 
the migrating clan is attacked and fights on the battle ground 
before her eyes. Wa‘ad is a fight ordained by Allah himself. 
Mahdads means the place of an encounter, a battle ground. 


Arhast ‘omri w-al-faras 
dun al-gemal w-alli ‘alezh 
7a-bu krin éaha-l-maras 
kalbt mustdken ‘alejh. 


I risked my life and my mare 

Before the camel and her who sat on him. 
For her with braids like this rope, 

My heart is longing for her. 


Kill jowm ‘ajden lal-banat 
w-al-jowm hdda ‘ajdana 
narm-al-asa lal-hajemat 
lal-ujuin min teridana. 
Every day is a holiday for the girls, 
But this day is a holiday for us, 
As we shall throw a supper to the birds of prey 
For the eyes of her who longs for us. 


The girls sing, amuse themselves, and turn the heads 


of the young men every day, but the youths show them their 
real qualities on the day when they repulse a hostile raid. 


554 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Henna zejzim al-harb al-awwal 
nasbor w-law enneh teZil 
camen tamtihen min ‘edana 
rahat tedawwer leh halil. 


We are the rampart against the first onslaught; 

Be it ever so fierce, we shall hold our ground, 

For there are many wives of our enemies, displeased 
Who seek another man. [with their husbands, 


Al-harb al-awwal is the first or surprise attack on a 
camp. It is repulsed as a rule by the bravest and steadiest 
warriors, Zejzim is the man who guarantees the safety of 
the herds, caravans, and people. Tamuh is a married woman 
desiring another man. If her husband is killed, she may marry 
the one she desires. 


Ja mad hala? tard as-sebaja 

min fowk musammart as-Selil 

w-jad ma hala’? hebb at-tendja 

elja’ sar ‘asizak sarir. 
Oh, how sweet is a fight with the plunderers, 
When thou sittest on a mare whose hair spreads over 
And how sweet the kissing of teeth, [her back! 
If thy sweetheart still be young! 


Musammart as-selil is a mare holding her tail high so 
that the hair spreads over her back. 


Ja mad hala’ tard as-sebaja 
eljw’ sirt min fowk al-gamth 
w-ja ma hala? hebb at-tendja 
elja’ sar ‘asizak tamuh. 
Oh, how sweet to fight with the plunderers, 
When thou bestridest a rebellious mare! 
And how sweet kisses of the teeth, 
When thy beloved longs for [thee] a braver man! 


Tard is the actual encounter or clash, a hand-to-hand 
fight in which one man attacks another trying to outflank 
him. Sebdja are the fighters whose task it is to capture the 
herds of the enemy. To repel or at least to stop these war- 
riors or plunderers is not easy, as they are always superior 


WAR AND PEACE 500 


in number to the guardians of the herds. No woman if mar- 
ried to a coward will ever fall in love with a man like him. 


Ja raceben horran mu‘anna 
wa-msaddaran zejn al-fedid 
ma nuhalli watanna 

laujun min lebseh gedid. 


O thou who ridest a thoroughbred camel mening a 


straight course, 
A camel looking round in fear, with a back falling 


away to its tail! 
[Know that] our homeland we shall not desert 
For the sake of the eyes of her who has put on a new 


dress. 


Mu‘anna is one who follows a straight, well-defined course. 
“Kint la wén mu‘anna; where art thou headed?” or “Where art 
thou going?” “Ana manna (or ndher) eben Sa‘lén, I go to 
Eben Sa‘lan.” Fedid is the sloping of the back to the tail, 
beginning at the hump. The more simple and symmetrical 
this line, the handsomer the camel. Watan has the same mean- 


ing as dire, a region, country, territory belonging to one of 
the tribes. 


Labes zebin kmas w-gibba 
w-al-mowt w-allah ma tara’ 
laujun min ‘atadni hubba 
w-ummaha w-abtiha mad dara’. 


I put on a silk zebuéin and a gibba, 

And, by Allah! it never occurred to me to die. 

[I wish to fight] for the eyes of her who gave me a kiss 
Unknown to her mother and her father too. 


Zebun kmas is a silk coat open at the front and reaching 
to the ankles. Gibba is a waistcoat with narrow, tucked- -up 


sleeves. It is worn only by the wealthier youths who wish 
to be admired. 


Laujin min fagg ad-dra w-jwiz 
‘atsdn.w-jabri Sowfana 
‘adatana fakk al-wsiz 

gejb al-kalaje° howfana. 


556 RWALA BEDOUINS 


For the eyes of her who draws apart the tent wall and 
peeps out 
Thirsting and longing for one of our glances, 
Our custom is to rescue the captured herds, 
And our task is to bring in mares whose riders we 
have. hurled down. 


When, after repelling the attack, the warriors return with 
their booty to their tents, they are inspected by the women 
and girls from the tents. Being themselves invisible, the latter 
look through the small space between the tent wall and roof. 
This wall or tent side is called ad-dera. “Derrina ‘an ha-l- 
bard, hang up the wall to protect us from the cold.” Awdak 
means to examine something thoroughly. The chief orders 
the sbur, scouts on camels: “Hwizi ‘ala ha-l-kowm, examine 
this detachment of jthe enemy well.” On their return they 
will report: “Awakna ‘aleyzhom, we have looked them over,” 
and give a detailed report. With the same thoroughness will 
a maiden examine her lover when he returns from a raid, 
anxious to know if and what booty he brings. Wsiz is the 
same as ahid, i. e. a herd, tars, captured from the enemy. 
Kalaje’ are the mares of the foes thrown from the saddle. 


Mamdth w-alléh ma narth 
nahus ‘Senda dijdrana 
laujun min karnha jeltih 
dabh as-swari kdrana. 


O Mamdth, by Allah! we shall not depart, 

But harass you from our lands instead, 

For the eyes of her whose plait is appearing — 
For the killing of troopers is our sport. 


Mamdth Pasha was the commander of the Turkish troops 
fighting the Druses in the Hawran. When defeated he asked 
the Rwala for help, but this they refused and, instead, com- 
posed this: poem. Nahtis means guerilla warfare, in which 
small regular detachments and frontier guards are attacked. 
The regular cavalry sent by Mamdith against the Rwala were 
beaten by them because their horses could stand the heat 
and thirst much better than the army horses. They awaited 
the soldiers in ambush, surrounded, and killed them. Kédr 
means hunting by lying in wait or catching the game in snares. 


WAR AND PEACE 5dD7 


La budd al-askar dare‘an bel-hejl 
amma jegi walla jaruh 

laujun min riheh zebadd w-hejl 
alli ‘an al-dka tamth. 


Al-ASkar certainly is arming cavalry; 

Either he advances or he runs away. 

[We will fight] for the eyes of her who sends forth 
sweet fragrance — 

Who instead of a coward longs for another man. 


Al-Askar is the surname of Sa‘dtin, head chief of the 
Muntifez tribe. Al-ASkar’s impending raid became known, and 
the warriors from all camps hastened to help the camp most 
endangered. They knew that al-ASkar would certainly attack 
their camps, too, if he were not repelled in time. Therefore 
they meant to fight bravely for their sweethearts, among 
whom there was many a one who, although married, longed 
for another man, knowing her husband to be a coward. ‘Aka 
is a man who takes a long time to dress, to arm himself, and 
to mount his horse in order to evade repelling the hostile attack. 


Jad mhammad sift eben rumman 
‘ajjentuh hammaj az-za‘an 
walad al-frejgi zaklabeh 
laujun bizen fara‘an. 


O Mhammad, hast thou seen Eben Rumman? 
Have ye seen the defender of the moving clan? 
A son of the Frege gave him a good blow 

For the eyes of the fair ones with loosened hair. 


Muhammad eben Smejr was an antagonist of the Rwala; 
Eben Rumman, a dreaded hero among Eben Smejr’s warriors, 
was killed by ‘Ejad eben ‘Arsan of the Frege clan of the 
Rwala. Zaklab is said of a falcon, who first stuns its game 
with its beak and then kills it. 


Lije sdhiban zéna sikkah 
helwan suwdd ‘ujtinaha 
la farra‘at ‘ala-l-mibtah 
al-omr jirhas aduinaha. 


I have a sweetheart fair, white and rosy; 
Charming is the black of her eyes. 


558 RWALA BEDOUINS 


When she once rises in her litter, 
Life before her loses its worth. 


Sikkah is white tinged with rose. Mibtdh are the long 
upper poles of the litter by which the woman Sine In dt 
supports herself when rising to look out. 


Bint ahu kutne jd nawwaf 
turkijzje la tigunaha 

elja’ teldken bes-seméah 
ukalletak la‘ujunaha. 


To the daughter of Kutne’s brother, O Nawwaf, 

To Turkijje go not too near! 

If our mares meet on a plain covered with coarse sand, 
I shall throw thee forward for the sake of her eyes. 


Ahu Kutne, brother or defender of the camel herds called 
Kutne, was the head chief of the Fed‘an. His daughter, Tur- 
kijj je, famous for both her beauty and prudence, was greatly 
enamored of Sattam, the prince of the Rwala, her love being 
returned. Nawwaf eben Ka‘ejsis, a near relative of Turkijje, 
claimed her for himself and would not allow her to marry 
Sattam. After trying in a friendly way to change Nawwaf’s . 
mind, Sattam composed this ditty and sent it to him with the 
threat that he would declare war on the Fed‘an if Turkijje 
were not given to him peaceably. 

Kalat is said when a camel saddle inclines forward. In 
using the word ukalletak Sattam threatens to meet Nawwaf 
in a duel and so terrify him that he will flee; Sattam will 
then strike him from behind with his weapon and throw him 
forward. 


Bint ahu kutne 7a sattadm 
Sakha jatzak lownaha 
tiscat gemi‘en rarrabat 
ma zanneti ja‘tinaha. 
The daughter of Kutne’s brother, O Sattam, 
Is like milk and blood; her color is not to be thine! 


Nine clans have gone from the desert to the settled 
Hardly I think would they yield her to thee. [ lands, 


The Fed‘an were camping in the inner desert, when Naw- 
waf was visited by Sattém’s messenger. In order to increase 


WAR AND PEACE 559 


the distance between themselves and the Rwala, they left the 
desert, rarrabow, crossed the Euphrates, and encamped on 
al-Habtr, whence Nawwaf sent his answer, also in verse. Yet 
Sattam got his Turkijje and was very happy with her. 


Ja radi-l-hamra seniuf 
w-helw sabtat rdseha 
ga mi hala’? hebb al-henif 
w-mlaaben befraseha. 


O thou who ridest the bay who always holds her head 
Faith! pretty is the motion of her head. [ high! 
Oh, how sweet is the kiss of the smiling beauty 

And the struggle in her bed|! 


Sentif is a horse which habitually carries its head erect 
and breathes through its nostrils, even while galloping. Hebb 
means a kiss. “Kiss his hand! hebb ideh.” 


Sawajehen w-al-hejl ‘azzam 
w-eljw’? racebna ma nesif 
‘addtaia ramja-!-muhazzam 
min Sdnak ja-l-rarw al-henif. 


They cry alarm and the horses are shying, 

And, as we rode out, nothing we saw. 

Our custom is to strike down armed men 

To please thee, our little gazelle, who smilest so prettily. 


Sawdjehen are the sentinels announcing at the top of 
their voices that they have seen danger. On hearing these 
alarm cries, the horses begin to shy, pull at their halters, 
jump up, and try even with the forelegs fettered to run in 
the direction whence the alarm is heard. ‘Azzam al-hejl: the 
horses are shying, will not be controlled, ld tasned. ‘Azim: 
a shying horse, either a stallion or a mare. Muhazzam is a 
warrior armed not only with a rifle and revolver, but also 
provided with plenty of cartridges, which he carries in one 
or two belts, one of them thrown over his shoulders and 
across the breasts. Rarw is a young gazelle; hentif, a young 
beauty with a pleasant smile. 


Nesmijjeten tarcah lena 
w-helw razzat “udaha 


560 RWALA BEDOUINS 


malbusaha ris an-nacam 
w-mdellelen katidaha 
rasusaha damm al-hamar 
w-al-bizr tals enhtidaha. 


A beauty is leaning towards us, 

And how prettily she stands up in her litter 
In ostrich feathers dressed; 

She rides on a camel with gay trappings. 
Stained by red blood is she, 

And her breasts appear like lead bullets. 


A young girl, with her breasts bared, sits in a fancy 
litter and during the fiercest fighting encourages her coun- 
trymen to persevere. ‘Ud is the essential part of the litter. 


Askar dwajeb ‘addabak 
w-arwaik nakkaz al-ga‘ad 
walad ar-radi la tadhedeh 
jigtk mitl abtih walad. 


The one with his braids dyed blond is a hindrance to thee, 
And he yearns for thee, he who often dishevels plaited hair. 
The son of a degenerate thou hadst better not marry, 
Else thy son will be like thy husband’s father. 


The eben al-‘amm, or nearest kinsman whom it is per- 
missible for her to marry, has a right to the girl since he 
has reserved her for himself, haggarha. He is a hindrance 
to the girl, because he lusts, rawa, after her; rawa is more 
sensual than hawa. Hawjdn means an enamored one, while 
rawjdn is a man lusting for sexual intercourse. Ga‘ad is the 
plaited and combed hair, consisting in the case of a girl of 
kussa, or hair trimmed above the forehead; of Zidle, small 
braids made of the trimmed hair above the forehead; and of 
dwajeb, long plaits on the upper part of the head and above 
the ears. Nakkaz al-ga‘ad is a man passionate in sexual in- 
tercourse, thus dishevelling the woman’s hair. The Rwala call 
such a man radi, a degenerate, and dislike their daughters 
to marry him. Just as he has inherited his bad qualities 
from his grandfather, her son would be like his father. The 
Rwala firmly believe that both good and bad qualities pass 
from the grandfather to the grandsons. 


WAR AND PEACE 561 


Ja-bu temdnen dubbalen wa-rhaf 
‘edab lhitarrdd al-hawa 

ja zidleten ris an-nacam erdéaf 
jelab beha safé al-hawa. 


O thou with eight teeth fine and small, 

Which so torment him who is given to flirting! 

O braids above the forehead, as thick as the ostrich’s 
feathers, 

With which nothing but a strong breeze can play. 


Teman are the four lower and the four upper incisors. The 
finer and smaller, the prettier they are. When they are shown 
by a smiling beauty, the passion of amorous men is inflamed 
to a high degree. Tarrdd is a warrior who, circling on his 
mare, attacks the enemy with the one aim of defeating them. 
No sooner has he vanquished one, than he throws himself 
on another. Trdd is a hand-to-hand fight, also a mock battle 
in which the struggles of a real battle are imitated. It is 
often performed in honor of an esteemed guest. Trdd al-hejl 
has the same meaning as le‘eb al-hejl, mock battle, cavalry 
play. ‘Ardza has nothing in common with trdd. In ‘ardza the 
warriors defile, one by one, before the standing chief, assure 
him of their fidelity, and by uttering their war cry raise 
one another’s war spirit. He that devotes much of his time 
to love affairs also resembles a farrdd, because, having gained 
the victory over one beauty, he leaves her in order to win 
the favor of another. The feathers on the hips of an ostrich 
are the thickest. A beauty’s Zidle should, likewise, be so thick 
and heavy that nothing except a strong breeze could move 
it. SafZ or salf is a strong, sudden gust of wind. 


Jd Sowk jd dakkék al-hejl 

7a mertecr fowk al-hant 

ekhar ka‘idak ‘enda rkiz al-hejl 
abi-zmanak w-atrok halt. 


O sweetheart mine who givest forth a fragrance as if 
pounding cardamom! 

O thou who supportest thyself by the bent litter pole! 

Stop thy camel at the cavalry assault, 

For I will desert my kin to guarantee thy safety. 


562 RWALA BEDOUINS 


When a migrating tribe is attacked by the enemy, the 
maiden should put both herself and her camels under the 
protection of her lover. Hejl, cardamom, is pounded and added 
to black coffee. He that pounds hejl in a mortar smells of it. 
The women like to sprinkle their hair and dress with it. If 
the girl or woman sitting in the litter wants to observe better, 
she has to kneel and support herself with her elbows on the 
bent horizontal pole. The lover will neglect the property of 
his own kin in order to rescue his sweetheart from being 
robbed by the enemy. 


Jad bint wa? kalbi Sirebé 
sirb al-kardh bel-kajile 
ja bint w-allah md-refé 
mar enn gatdeé majile. 
O girl! Oh! my heart drinks thee 
With the same lust as we drink fresh water during the 
greatest heat. 
O daughter! by Allah himself, I know thee not, 
But thy waving plaits caught my eye! 


The warrior saw the long, loosened braids of an unknown: 
beauty and began to desire her with his whole heart. 


Er as-salafi dare‘at: 

mitl as-sendber bel-hawa’ 

‘ajnec 7a tirf al-bendt 

qa labesen towb al-rawa’. 
Behold the blades of the decorated spears, 
Shining in the air like a red garment! 
Before thine eyes, O tender maiden 
Who appearest in a seductive dress! 


The blood-stained spear blades remind one of the long red 
kerchiefS worn by dressy women. Towb al-rawa’ is a woman’s 
dress unbuttoned below the throat. It hangs loosely over the 
shoulders disclosing both the throat and the breasts. Thus 
the girl, who in a perilous fight encourages the men to perse- 
vere, arranges her dress. 


Ja hejh 74 rai-l-kaud 
wa-mkalladen ris an-nasam 


WAR AND PEACE 563 


al-kalb min jammak jahtb 
w-al-ajn “ajjat la tandm 
min Sdnaha narhi-l-gerir 
narmi-l-‘asa lat-tejr Ssamdam. 
O hail! O thou who ridest a camel 
Adorned with ostrich feathers! 
The heart in thy presence takes fire, 
And the eye will not yield to slumber. 
To please her, we shall loosen the rein 
And at once throw supper to the birds of prey. 


The maiden accompanies the men into the fight so that 
they attack the enemy with greater courage. They will loosen 
the reins to allow the mares to bring them into the midst of 
the enemy more quickly. Only a coward will hold back his 
horse. Samdm means to reach a thing as quickly as a scent 
reaches the nose. 


Jd bint 74 Sakra-l-dwejbe O maiden! thou with the fair plait, 


ja ‘ajgn gubeqj an-ndzije O thou keen eye of a gazelle! 
al-kalb minjgammak jahtib In thy presence the heart takes fire 
w-al-“ajn ma hi “azizse. And the eye cannot become calm. 
Hejjeh ja-bu Zedile Hasten, O thou with little braids 
on thy forehead! 
wa? hejieh 7a-bu teman Hasten, O thou with eight teeth! 
ente ta‘tini-llah Thou wilt with Allah pledge me 
thy faith, 
w-ana-tté aman. And I shall pledge to thee peace. 


The youth promises the maiden he intends to marry that 
he will not maltreat her if she remains faithful to him. Con- 
jugal fidelity can be assured only by the fear of Allah, as no 
witness will ever come forward in a suit for infidelity. 


Ja rayjet al-awzgah O thou who sittest on a camel pure white! 


‘an ar-radi simi Turn away from a scoundrel 

simi lahu sita And incline to Sita’s brother, 

qa zebn al-mazjumi_ A protector of the oppressed; 

Simi lwagh allah Bow to the face of Allah [ beset. 


gallaj al-ehmtmi. Who leads into safety one by troubles 


Ahu sita, Sita’s brother, is the battle ery of the Sa‘lan 
reigning kin and signifies any of its members. Zeben means 


564 RWALA BEDOUINS 


him who grants a safe asylum to one imperiled by a blood 
feud or in battle, or to those who are persecuted. 


La téhedi alli sarad 7a hajibe 
w-al-mesé w-ar-rejhdn bedwajibeh. 
Wed not him who cowardly fled, O maiden who loves 
a coward, 
Even if his braids were scented with musk and other 
perfumes! 


Hajeb is a man who returned without booty. Such a one 
brings no luck, for he is predestined to evil, fdleh sén. He 
who runs away from fear deserves no booty, and the maiden 
who loves him is in danger of forfeiting all good fortune and 
is, also, a hajzibe. The messenger bringing the first report that 
the raiders are returning is pressed with questions: “A raid 
with or without booty? al-razw hdjeb walla’? sajeb.” Many 
young men plait their hair in the female style into dwdjeb 
and then scent it with musk and other perfumes. 


Rad‘ané ja-bu zmejjen racane 
hatta tsaf mutd‘ané 
ja-bu zmejzjem lawiteh 
cejf an-nedel mhawiteh. 
Look at me, thou with a nose ring; 
Behold how I fight! 
O thou with a nose ring which thou squeezest! 
How couldst thou fall in love with a coward? 


Zmejjem is a brass or silver ring, about one or two centi- 
meters in diameter, worn in the left nostril. Mutd‘ané, pro- 
perly mutd‘ani, means a contest with spears, a contest in 
general. Lawiteh or lawajteh: she kept pressing the ends of 
the ring together to prevent it from falling out of the nostril. 


Jd Sowk 74 zejn al-medare’ 
ja ‘awd rejhadnen raguh 
en mad hamajna lak mesare‘ 
w-allah ‘an ad-dire narth. 
O sweetheart! O thou with fair elbows! 
O fragrant flower stalk to all sides inclining! 
Know that if we hold not the watering places, 
By Allah! we shall move from our territory. 


WAR AND PEACE 565 


The sleeves of the woman’s dress, towb, are very broad but 
comparatively short, leaving the arms bare up to the shoulders. 
‘Awd is a stalk holding blossoms. If these are too numerous 
or heavy, the ‘awd bends with the breeze, raguh. Mesdre® is 
the term for places with abundant and good water, where, 
besides watering the herds, the women also get all the water 
needed in the camp. In our ditty it is from the watering places 
in the Hawran territory, south and southeast of Damascus, 
that Muhammad eben Smejr wished to drive the Rwala. This 
territory is called ad-dire by the Rwala. 


FHelli-d-dwajeb Loosen the plaits of thy hair, 
hellihen Loosen them, 

w-etlat nhiideé And uncover thy breasts 
kellihen. Altogether. 


Dwajeb are a girl’s hair plaits. She usually keeps them 
covered with her kerchief. Hallat ad-dwdjeb is said of a girl 
who has thrown the kerchief off her head and has unplaited 
and loosened her hair. This is done only by girls or young 
women accompanying the men into battle, mandh, or when 
an attack is made on a migrating clan. 


Ja hmiud ballah hebbeni 
la 7a bacad hebb al-bandt 
al-karm marhi rdsaha 
jowm as-sebadja mowéZifat. 
O Hmtd, by Allah, I implore thee, kiss me! 
O mayst thou yet kiss maidens! 
A hero gives his mare’s head freedom, 
When all the plunderers have stopped. 


The maiden wishes in the thick of the fray to inspire the 
youth Hmid with a kiss and give him courage. A hero dis- 
dains, even when the danger is at its highest, to restrain his 
steed, but will let it gallop at will into the midst of the enemy 
although he sees that his comrades have halted and therefore 
will not come to his aid. 


Razw al-kardri rawwagat 
bén ar-rwejsed w-al-gezt 
ja razweten mad fawwadat 
ajtam biha majet razi. 


566 RWALA BEDOUINS 


The raiders led by al-Karari were seized with giddiness 
Between ar-Rwejsed and al-Gezi«. 

Oh, that raid, from which there was no booty 

And which made hundreds of sucklings orphans! 


Al-Karari was a famous war leader of the Sha‘a tribe. 
The Rwala once surrounded his troop between the valleys of 
ar-RweSed and al- Gezi‘a and killed them almost to a man. 
Fawwadat: they captured; the booty is called fowd. Rawge 
is giddiness; rawwagat: they spin around as if giddy. The 
Sba‘a, who raise great numbers of goats and sheep, are often 
derided by the Rwala as suffering from giddiness themselves. 


Gawna-s-sbir w-akrataw al-agelle 
w-arcebaw “alejhen kaffalaw kill miswal. 


When the enemy’s camel scouts came to us, [our youths] 
tore from the mares their long blankets, 

Mounted them, and compelled each beast to lift its tail 
to evacuate. 


Agelle are the blankets protecting the mares from cold. 
Kaffalaw: they played with the mares till they evacuated, for 
this helps them to endure more fatigue. 


Ja ‘aggaten abri tasir O dust, I wish thee to rise, 
jengal ‘an kalbi sada’ So the dirt flies out from my heart! 
ahu Saha ja ‘andn al-‘azim Saha’s brother is a check rein 
elja’ tdla® as-surba hada’. And on sighting a troop he in- 


tones the hda’ ditty. 


Among the Sammar in al-Gezire civil war once broke out, 
the ‘Abde and Aslam tribes trying to destroy each other. At 
the head of the latter was the chief al- Asi with his son, the 
war leader al-Hadi, while the former were commanded by 
Garallah. Tih, a son of al- ‘Asi, sought refuge with Garallah, 
with whose son, Abu Rwejs, he formed a close friendship. 
The cause of the war was jealousy between the two tribes. 
The ‘Abde had been despising the Aslam for a long time, and 
Garallah reproached al-‘Asi with acting dishonorably and with 
having defiled his honor. These insinuations embittered al- 
‘Asi’s heart to such an extent that he finally declared war. 

The chief and war leader of the Aslam is here called, 
briefly, the brother of Saha, Ahu Saha, because he called the 


WAR AND PEACE 567 


herds Saha and used this phrase as his battle cry. ‘Agge or 
‘agag is dust and sand caught up by-a whirlwind which runs 
like a pillar through the desert. Such columns of dust and sand 
often envelop the cavalry, whose horses raise up the dust with 
their hoofs. During a war, when troops cross the desert every 
day, the ‘agge also appears more frequently. Surba means 
here a hostile troop. The warriors galloping to repulse the 
enemy sing the ditties called hda’?. Ahu Saha never waits for 
his comrades, but, intoning a hda’, attacks the enemy as soon 
as he sights him. 


Li direten gennat an‘ém I have a land, a paradise for herds, 
meteb w-sib jurideha Met‘eb and Sib long for it, 

as-Sejh mitlak la jendm A chief like thee must not sleep, 
jet‘ab ‘ala tabrideha. But strive to hold his property. 


Al-‘Asi, the son of Farhan, inherited from his father as 
his private property extensive pastures irrigated by a live 
creek, where he kept large herds of cattle and sheep. Some 
time afterwards Garallah attempted to take the pastures away 
from him by force, in which he was supported by the Sammar 
war leader named Met‘eb 4l Hadab and by his own son Tah; 
who likewise were seeking an ally against al-‘Asi. This chief 
was not a little vexed with his son al-HAadi, who seemed to 
care for nothing. His reproaches having no effect, the dis- 
appointed father composed this ditty, which was sung by his 
followers to insult the young man. An‘dm means cattle, espe- 
cially cows and sheep. Tabrid: to defend what belongs to one 
lawfully. Roused by the poem, al-Hadi answered with another: 


Dari beha kablen tekil 
binten tagadded ‘édaha 
mifrads balid alli jeri 
behnuk min juridaha. 
I knew [our land] before thou didst warn me, 
It is like a maiden, always changing its holiday garb, 
While I am like steel pincers which crush 
In their jaws him who longs for it. 


Dari beha: I know of it. Mani déri: I do not know. (“Mé- 
dri-n-can ahad behal-kasr; I do not know if there is anybody 
in this castle,” remarked Hmar on one occasion. “Beh, there is”’ 
was Prince an-Niuri’s answer.) ‘Edaha: her holiday dress. The 


568 RWALA BEDOUINS 


land renews its holiday dress owing to the constant irrigation 
which stimulates the growth and blooming of the vegetation. 
Mifrdas balid are teeth forceps. Al-Hadi means to crush, jeri, 
in his jaws those who try to seize his land. 


Jad zejd ‘abde rarrabaw 

ok‘od tahejzem la tanam 

radaw bemnaffes derwateh 

hadwan zejzum al-gaham. 
O Zejd! the ‘Abde are encamped in the settled lands, 
Mount, gird thyself, do not sleep; 
They assailed him who is wont to unplait the hair on 
The leader, the protector of deserted herds. [his head, 


The ‘Abde camped in the desert between the middle Eu- 
phrates and the Tigris; the Aslam on the middle part of the 
Tigris, the numerous islands, hawdjeg, of which belonged to 
them. In order to humiliate the Aslam completely, the “‘Abde 
marched from the desert direct to the Tigris, rarrabaw, and 
attacked al-Hadi. In the furious battle that ensued both al- 
Hadi and GAarallah were slain. Al-Hadi wore his hair in long, 
thick braids, which he unplaited before every battle. Gahém 
is an abandoned herd, to be captured by the enemy without 
fighting. Zeyzam is equivalent to hama‘, shielded, protected. 
Zejd was al-Hadi’s little son, who remained hidden on an islet 
in the river, taking no part in the battle. 


Abu rwejs gad minneh medih 
w-at-tih ma ga leh habar 
ja wageh dih mzdbel ad-duhdn 
was bik najem ja rabar. 
Of Abu Rwejs nothing but praise is told, 
But of Tih no news is as yet heard; 
Oh, the face of a dog sitting by the smoke! 
What art thou worth, who art wont to sleep in the dust? 


After Garallah’s death the command was taken over by his 
son Abu Rwejs, who soon distinguished himself and won the 
praise of every one who left his presence. But with the Aslam 
matters were worse. Al-Asi had died in the meantime, al-HAdi 
had fallen in battle, his son Zejd was too young, and his brother 
Tih, who stayed with the ‘Abde, cared for nothing but women. 
He used to loaf day and night in the women’s compartment, 


WAR AND PEACE 569 


seated by the fireplace where his wife was cooking their 
meals, not unlike a dog who lies down on the dust and ash 
heap and does not stir until his mistress is done with the 
cooking and throws bits to him. 


Lije zanwiten razejtaha 
min “okb ahu saha fesdd 
beha zurejgli w-ad-dawis 
w-azejb hal abuh wkdd 
gasi hadideh ma jelin 
md leh ‘an al-fetna gelad. 


I have sons whom I have suckled, 

When Saha’s brother’s activity ceased; 

Of them are Zu‘ejli and ad-Dawis 

And ‘Azejb, his mother’s brother, for sure. 
He is hard, his armor will not soften, 

Nor will he ever brook any opposition. 


When there was no one left in the chief’s family to unite 
all the Aslam, the command was taken over by Najef az- 
Zu‘ejli, ad-Dawis, and ‘Azejb eben Mow‘ed, chief of the Sajeh 
kin and a brother of al-Hadi’s mother. ‘Azejb utterly crushed 
the opposition of the Aslam, inspired them with fresh courage, 
and avenged the death of his nephew. This ditty was sung 
by al-Hadi’s mother, who brought up the orphans Zu‘ejli and 
ad-Dawis, and also her young brother, ‘Azejb. Fesdd, or fdsed, 
means a useless, impotent, or inactive man; béza fdsde, an 
egg that was not fecundated; his sons are good for nothing, 
killeh fased; he is impotent, sterile, fdsed. 


Jad wanneti wannejtaha 
baksa-z-zumajer testedir 
zajgjacet tejr al-habari 
wa-kneset bel-farh as-sarir 
la zal rab% jarkebtn al-hejl 
as-sulh w-alladh md Jesir. 
This is my lament with which I mourn 
And which enters my innermost entrails, 
I lost a hunting falcon for the habdri trained, 
And then hunted with only a young one. 
As long as my comrades cease not to mount their horses, 
By Allah, there will be no peace. 


570 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Tejr is a trained falcon. Habdavi, bustards, are ash-gray 
birds, rather smaller than hens, distinctly clumsy in flight. 
A falcon trained to catch them is very valuable. A passionate 
hunter when losing an old falcon will not fail to get a young 
one and to start at once to train it so that he can hunt again. 
A passionate fighter does not appreciate peace, but seeks all 
the time for a reason to fight and to get booty. — This poem 
is attributed to the widow of the fallen al-Hadi. He was her 
trained falcon, while Zejd is her young, whom she has not 
yet tried. 


TREATIES OF PEACE 


It is long before a chief decides to sue for peace. He can 
do so only when he hears from all sides that after all it would 
be better if both tribes became friends again. A request for 
peace is hardly ever refused. And yet Prinee an-Ndari eben 
Sa‘lan declined three times when Eben Meglad, the chief of 
the Dahamse, sued for peace, because the latter had not 
ordered three clans of the Kwacbe tribe, rebellious subjects 
of an-Nuri, away from his territory. The offer of peace either 
verbally or in writing is generally brought by a traveler, very 
seldom by a slave of the opposing chief. Such an offer is 
nearly always worded as follows: 

‘“‘“As is known both to you and to ourselves, our people 
attack yours and your people ours. Ours harm yours, yours 
harm ours. There is no profit in it either for you or for us. 
Why this constant injury? Are we not relatives? We do not 
want to fight you any more. From today we are your friends. 
All that has happened we have already buried. Decide as you 
like and then let us know. Greetings!” 

The answer usually is: “After a thorough consideration 
of your offer we inform you of the great joy we feel because 
you desire our friendship. We do not reject it but must re- 
quest that our enemies be not allowed to march through your 
territory to attack us from there, ld jetamatnakom w-jarira 
‘aleyna. This much for your information. Farewell!” 

To conclude peace in a solemn manner the prince rides 
with his suite to the chief of the tribe with which he wishes 
to be reconciled, or the latter comes to him, and they agree 
on all points. After the defeat of the Beni Sahr Prince an- 
Nuri rode with fifteen companions from al-Azrak to the camp 


WAR AND PEACE 571 


of Eben Fajez near Zerjet Abu GAber and remained there for 
thirty nights. One fat she-camel was killed in his honor every 
day. The peace treaty ends with the words: “Interred and 
buried, hafdr w-defan,” or: “Interred and buried under a 
steep bank, damdiim w-gurfen mahdum; a steep river bank 
has fallen upon its shadow, gurfen inhadam ‘ala zelleh; no 
wolf will hurt the sheep any more, md diben ja‘di ‘ala-s-§@.” 

The chiefs then grasp each other’s right hands and say: 
“I give thee Allah and the peace of Allah. And whoever would 
deceive thee, may Allah deceive him! I give thee Allah against 
all instigation and calumny. A‘tajtak alléh w-amén aliéh we- 
min bakak jebiikeh allah a‘tajtak ‘an al-mesmesiqjze w-al-ma- 
haci-r-radijje.” 


THE TRIBAL EMBLEM, ABU-D-DHUR 


The Rwala have no flag of their own. They go on raids 
without any special device; but when waging war, whether of 
aggression or defense, that endangers the whole tribe, they 
take with them a special kind of a litter, called Abu-d-Dhir 
or al-Markab. This is perhaps the old decorated litter “Atfa 
destined originally for the prettiest girl, who used to lead the 
tribe to the decisive battle. But there is nobody now who can 
remember that a girl has ever sat in it. The Markab litter 
(Fig. 59) is constructed of stout poles, the frame being about 
90 centimeters high, 270 centimeters long at the top, and 190 
centimeters long and about 50 centimeters wide at the bottom. 
All the poles are wrapped round with ostrich feathers; to the 
upper poles are tied 12 short pegs, zerdnizZ, with plumes of 
bent ostrich feathers, yalab. To be loaded, the Markab is placed 
in the litter called harag, and this is tied to a camel with 
ropes, mecarib. The hakab rope is drawn through under the 
breast, the btdne under the belly, the tafar under the tail, 
and the lebab, twisted from variegated camel’s hair threads, 
under the neck. The single parts of the Markab litter (Fig.58) 
are called: harag (a), ‘iddn al-harag (b), bdtid (this because 
they rest on the cushion, bedd (c), hosra (d), mibtah (e), 
genub (f), gerdjed (g), zeradniz (h), and ralab (j). 

The Rwala believe that the litter is called Abu-d-Dhir, 
Father of Indefinite Periods of Time, because it is inherited 
from generation to generation, from age to age, min gilen ila 
gil, and that it will last forever. Al-Markab forms the visible 


572 RWALA BEDOUINS 


token of princely power, and therefore this litter remains in 
the prince’s tent all the time, in the part of the tent reserved 
for the women; here it is guarded, day and night, both by 
the prince himself and by his slaves, against everybody and 


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Fic. 58—Abu-d-Dhtr or al-Markab litter. 


especially against the prince’s nearest kinsmen. For, if a revolt 
breaks out in the reigning kin against the prince, his opponents 
attempt first of all to snatch the Abu-d-Dhfir away from 
him, as he who has this emblem of the whole tribe in his 
possession must be recognized as their prince. Should the 
enemy at war with the Rwala succeed in capturing the Abu- 
d-Dhur, the respect for it would be entirely lost, and the Rwala 
would not use it again. To carry this litter when the tribe 
migrates, an especially strong and docile camel, usually one 


WAR AND PEACE 573 


of white color, is selected. The animal then, as a rule, walks 
between the laden camels and the herds, thus forming the 
center of all the migrating families. 

When attacked by an enemy in force on the march, the 


Fic. 59—Abu-d-Dhtr or al-Markab litter. 


best fighters at once surround the Abu-d-Dhir to protect it. 
If it seems that the enemy will push back the fighters re- 
sisting his attack and that he will break through to the pack 
camels, the commander of the chosen troop of fighters (called 
sanam) who defend the Markab will take the camel carrying 
this symbol by the rein and lead her at the head of his troop 
against the enemy. The sanam are accompanied by girls seated 
on she-camels, who encourage the men to persevere, and behind 
them follow women who threaten to beat to death any one who 
deserts the Abu-d-Dhtr and flees. So far no enemy has suc- 
ceeded in defeating the Rwala sufficiently to take the Abu- 
d-Dhtr away from them. The prince, it must be said, is very 


574 RWALA BEDOUINS 


prudent — the more dangerous the region through which the 
tribe has to pass when migrating, or where it encamps, the 
nearer together stand the tents of the various camps. 
When the Rwala engage in a war of al-manéh (see above, 
pp. 540f.), during which they move with all their herds and tents 
into an enemy’s territory, the camel carrying the Abu-d-Dhir 
walks at the head of the whole tribe, surrounded by warriors 
who follow every movement of the animal with the closest 
attention. They believe that Allah gives signs by means of 
the Abu-d-Dhur, from which the outcome of the fight can be 
foretold. Sometimes, in a dead calm, the ostrich feathers adorn- 
ing the Abu-d-Dhtr begin to flutter. At other times the litter 
leans to the right or left, but suddenly straightens itself, re- 
mains quietly upright, and then rocks a few times from side to 
side. All this, the Rwala think, happens by the power of Allah, 
kudrat min allah, who sends them help, ‘endje, from al-Mar- 
kab, where He is believed to seat himself for a while. The 
waving of the feathers and the straightening of the Abu-d- 
Dhur are signs that Allah has touched it with his power. 
After each victory a camel is killed before the Abu-d-Dhir 
in honor of Allah. This is also done every year, even if the 
Rwala have had no war to which the Abu-d-Dhir had to be taken. 


NARRATIVES OF RWALA WARS AND RAIDS 


Ad-Dréi eben Sa‘lén’s Raid on the Zefir (Early Nineteenth 
Century) 


Of their wars and raids much was related to me by the 
Rwala. 

In bygone days (at the beginning of the nineteenth cen- 
tury) they had a head chief named ad-Dré‘i eben Sa‘lan, who 
was celebrated for his bravery, w-leh sit bel-furse. Once, while 
encamped with his Arabs west of the Hawran mountains, he 
heard of the defeat of Eben Haddal, the head chief of the 
‘Amarat, who, while migrating with his tribe, was attacked 
by the Zefir chief, Sultan eben Swejt, and despoiled of all he 
had. During the fight one of the enemy’s warriors had tried to 
Seize a pack camel guarded by Hossa, Eben Haddal’s daughter. 
She had defended her animal from the man as best she could, 
but when he struck her she had cried out: “Ad-Dré‘i, O my 
hero! W-sdhat ad-dré% ja raggali.” 


WAR AND PEACE 575 


As soon as ad-Dré‘i in the Hawr4n learnt that the girl 
in Irak had called to him for aid while in distress, he decided 
to help her, for he was a true man, w-édn ja‘edd min ar- 
regal. When the time for the mopar ten of the Rwala to the 
inner desert came, w-sdr wakt tesdriz ar-rwala, ad-Dréi issued 
an order to his people, nebeh ‘alejhom, that nobody should lead 
his mare to the stud horse and that whoever happened to have 
a mare foaling should throw away her colt so that it might 
not impede the speed of the mares on the raid which they 
were about to undertake against Eben Swejt, because the ery 
for help emitted by Hossa must not remain unheard, nahwat 
hossa ma truh balds. The Rwala were encamped in the terri- 
tory of al-Wudijan when ad-Dré‘i set out against Eben Swejt. 
This chief defended himself as well as he could, but the Rwala 
attacked him like wild beasts, killed a great number of his 
fighters, dabahow mineh hilken ‘azim, and captured many of 
his camel herds. Among the warriors of the Zefir tribe one 
Sultan al-‘Amri especially distinguished himself by slaying 
many Rwala, but was finally struck down by the spear of 
Sultan eben Sa‘lan. When the head chief Sultan eben Swejt 
saw his friend unhorsed, he threw himself, foaming with rage, 
on Sultan eben Sa‘lan and killed him with his saber. 

Some member of the Zefir tribe sang thus of this fight: 


1. Sultan dabah sultan bsultdn 7a zejd 
raglen dabah bel-gar tumma-starahi 

2. w-dabah al-msowbes ‘endana céenneh al-id 
w-jinka® ‘ala €abdi ladid al-kerahi. 


1. Sultan killed Sultan to avenge Sultan, O Zejd! 
A man he killed for his neighbor and then was appeased. 
2. Al-Msowbes he killed too, which was a great festival for us, 
And clear, sweet water filled my entrails. 


This poem was sent by its author to Zejd eben Swejt, who 
had formerly been Sultan al-‘Amri’s neighbor, gar. Sultan eben 
Swejt also unhorsed al-MSowbes of the Frege clan, who had 
raided the Zefir frequently. There was much rejoicing among 
the latter tribe and also a festival, when the death of the 
dreaded raider became known. 


1. Al-bareha ma diket nowm at-tardcid 
w-ajni sehira ma terid al-maréhi 


576 


10. 


RWALA BEDOUINS . 


2. min roll min jirsel celam at-twaid 
swétat kafwan al-lura w-al-mezahi 

3. Ja Sejh mad henna hamajel mesaid 
teharranna lannak same‘et as-sigahi 

4. embarzein rusena bel-bwalid 
w-silfen talala’ fowk ris ar-rumahi 

5. w-tara harbana jebhal beh as-sejh w-jigid 
w-jizell wazef ma jidtk al-btahi 

6. neszih min murr as-sSera? w-at-tenacid 
masrub hanzgal bdretineh malahi 

7. hossa nahatna bwazdjet ar-ragagid 
‘ajneéé 7a hossa nuhezz al-eslahi 

8. w-gina cema-Il-citfi rada’ leh sendzid 
w-at-tard ma bén al-zebilén sahhi 

9. w-jd ma dabahna min kriimen w-walid 
wa-btinana minkom beddnen alkahi 

10. hazza helli gabhateh tekred al-hejd 
w-al-ghejr ‘essi lafehat al-gendaht. 


. Yesterday no refreshing sleep I tasted — 


For mine eye wakened, not desiring rest —, 


. Thinking whom I should send with the promised words 


To Swejt to compensate him for all the slander and sneers. 


. O chief! we are not of the Mesa‘id clans; 


When we shall kick, thou wilt hear a ery of alarm. 


. Our heads are enveloped with steel, 


And sharp blades glisten on our spearheads. 


. And, behold! in a war with us the chief must prove 


. his worth 
And remain firm, not lying on his belly. 


. We shall let him drink the bitterness of torments and 


miseries, 
A cup of colocynth mixed with salt. 


. Hossa’s war cry called us when we dwelt in Wazajet 


ar-Ragagid, 
[Our answer being:] “For thine eyes, O Hossa! we 
brandish our arms.” 


. And we came like small locusts who are visited by want, 


And a fight ensued between two opponents. 


. Ah, how many we killed, both elders and sons, 


Till our bellies ye made fat like those of the pregnant! 
Hazza*‘, whom I well knew, with his brow digs in the ground, 
And al-Ghejr gives supper to those who wave their wings. 


WAR AND PEACE 577 


The poem was composed by a member of the Durmén clan 
in answer to the poet of the Zefir who praised the reigning kin 
of Eben Swejt and inveighed against the kin of Eben Sa‘lan. 

Verse 2. Swétat (Confounded) is an insulting nickname 
for the members of the Eben Swejt kin. 3. Mesa‘id are breed- 
ers of goats and donkeys, Sikkdra, in the Hawran. The Rwala 
will remain calm before sneers and even thefts, but when they 
do decide to retaliate, Eben Swejt, the chief of the Zefir, will 
soon hear the alarm cries of his followers from all sides. 
7. Hossa, the daughter of the chief, Eben Hadd4l, was with 
her people on the lower Euphrates, and when she ealled on 
the Rwala to help her they heard her cry as far as Wa- 
zajet ar-Ragagid in the Hawran. 8. Kitfi are young locusts 
not yet winged, which crawl on top of one another and can be 
held back by nothing, especially when they are hungry, sené- 
Zid. Tard signifies a man-to-man fight; sahh at-trdd: the fight 
developed. 10. Hazz4‘* and al-Ghejr, both of the Eben Swejt 
kin, fell in the war with the Rwala. 


War Between Eben Sa‘lan and Eben Rasid (Second Half 
of the Nineteenth Century) 


It happened in the course of years, w-édn min middat 
sinin, that Muhammad eben RasSid, also called al-Emir, be- 
came the head chief in Negd. Allah granted him many happy 
days, so that it seemed as if everything that he undertook 
would succeed. By wars and depredations he finally brought 
a number of Arabian tribes to obedience, tawwa‘ al-‘orbdn 
bel-harb w-al-ahdjed, and soon had no rival in the whole 
desert. The chiefs of the various tribes brought him mares, 
the envy of all, al-hejl al-matliba, and female riding camels 
without blemish, ar-r¢db al-manguiba, and they all sued for his 
protection and peace, aman w-sulh. The Rwala alone opposed 
him. Enraged at this, he organized a raid against them, at- 
tacked at al-“Agraimijjat the camp, firka, of the RStim kin 
of the Ka‘az‘a clan, and looted it completely, ahadhom ahi- 
daten gajjedaten. Men, women, and children wandered round 
the camping ground disconsolately, jetaddwagow ‘ala-l-mrah. 
At that time, Hazza* eben Sa‘lan, the father of an-Niuri, was 
the head chief of the Rwala. His camp was four days from 
al--Agrtimijjat. On learning of the misfortune sent by Allah 
on the Ka‘az‘a, he assembled all the Rwala warriors who were 


578 RWALA BEDOUINS 


camping near him and went in pursuit of Eben RaSid’s raiders, 
atlab razw eben rasid. On reaching the looted camping ground, 
they found there some camel calves barely a few weeks old, 
searching for their mothers and wailing piteously. But, as their 
mothers had been captured, ummahdtaha ma*hida (sic! not 
mawhutda), the calves were threatened with death. This sad 
sight so moved the Rwala warriors that they paraded one 
after another before the young animals, kdmow ja‘rezin w- 
jintahun ‘enda-l-hejran, shouted their war cry, and encouraged 
one another with the words: “O thou little camel! listen to 
glad tidings of thy mother! 74 hwdr ibSer bummak.” 

During this parade, al-‘arza, some of the warriors were 
so affected with pity that they dismounted and began to weep. 
Gnashing their teeth, they searched for the tracks of Eben 
Rasid’s troop, tallabow bdtdr eben rasid w-gGmi‘eh, followed 
them, masakow atdrhom, quickened their pace, and, overtaking 
them at the watering place of al-Hazel, attacked them at once, 
ardrow ‘alejhom. Chief Hazza° shouted to his men: 

“This day is your day! You will either be killed or you. 
will liberate your animals. Al-jowm jowmkom amma tindabe- 
hun amma-tfakkin haladlkom. Leave nobody alive! 1d thajjow 
minhom haden. Whoever amongst you shall flee today, will 
become a ou of a slave; alli jinhazem minkom ede tarah 
eben raijje.”” , 

The Rwala answered as with one voice: “A idee protect- 
ing ‘Alja belongs to the tribe of the Rwala, hajjdl al- alja 
rwejli,” and instantly broke the enemy’s lines. Allah gave 
them victory. Eben RaSid’s raiding troop lost nearly a hun- 
dred men; the rest fled. Among the fallen were forty pairs 
of brothers, ‘arba%in gowz ahw. All the animals taken from 
the Ka‘az‘a clan were recovered by the Rwala warriors, besides 
which they captured, ksabow, many horses and riding camels 
and won much glory by liberating their own she-camels and 
defeating the enemy, tenawmasow bfikkat abd‘erhom. 

When Muhammad eben RaSid returned to his people, jowm 
wasal ila hajjeh, and learned the extent of the losses the Rwala 
had caused him, he sent his friends, suhbeh, to the head chief, 
Eben Sa‘lan, with the following message: 

“T swear by Allah, O Eben Sa‘ lan, that as long as I live, I 
will be thy comrade, the friend of thy friend and the enemy of 
thine enemy! W-allah jd-ben Sa‘lan inni mé-zdl w-ana mawgud - 
innt saheb lak w-siddiz siddizk w-adw ‘adawwak.” 


WAR AND PEACE 579 


In this manner Eben RaSid and his tribes became the 
friends and comrades of the Rwala, just as if they were re- 
lated by blood, mitl al-beni‘amm. Whenever Eben Rasid wished 
to undertake a dangerous raid he asked the help of Eben Sa‘ lan, 
jistafza’, who then either went with him in person or sent him 
his Rwala with some other commander. All that was captured 
by Eben Sa‘lan he kept for himself and his troops, kill min ksa- 
beh leh eben Sa‘lén ‘ala gema' ‘ateh. Eben RaSid never shared 
with his ally, because Eben Sa‘lan was independent. 

The battle at the watering place of al-Hazel is known 
among the Sammar as “the day on which the partakers in the 
raid who sat behind the camel saddle were slain, jowm (or 
dbahat) ar-ridefa.” 


1. Al-bareha bel-kalb wa? min al-maléjel 
w-sabezi hatt al-araé fowkaha aid 

2. 74 Sé€n 74 hamldn ‘odd as-samédjel 
elja’ git suk meédtterin at-tandsid 

d. kil leh ahu ntra-had leh hamédjel 
wa-tlabeh eben Sa‘lan ma‘ al-bardrit 

4. elja’ git habra rmejh elja-d-damm sédjel 
min halk eben haggdg hw w-al-wélid 

5. w-cam mensaben radseh ‘an al-maten médjel 
elja’ git ras al-herr mitl ar-rwagid. 


1. Ah, yesterday [1 thought I had] a red-hot coal in my heart, 
For a worn leather saddle was laid by A‘id on my un- 
rivaled mare. 
2. O unworthy one! O babbler! relate true stories, 
When thou comest to the market where men inquire 
for news. 
&. Tell him [who should ask thee] that, though Nira’s 
brother has beaten the clans, 
Eben Sa‘lan did pursue him over the wilds. 
4. When thou comest to the Rmejh rain pool there blood 
is streaming’ 
From Eben Haggag’s and his sons’ throats. 
5. Oh, how many a grandee’s head is rocking on his shoulders! 
When thou enterest the beginning of the al-Herr valley, 
like a field with heaps of cut grain it will look to thee. 


| This poem was composed by Fahad eben Sbejh. The re- 
citers were Hmar abu ‘Awwad and an-Niari eben Sa‘lan. Eben 


580 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Rasid, who calls his camel herds Nara — whence his battle 
cry “an-ahu nura, I am the brother of Naira” — organized a 
great raid against Eben Sa‘l4n under the command of Eben 
Haggas, who succeeded in surprising some clans subject to 
Eben Sa‘lan and in completely robbing them. The news of 
this disaster was carried by A‘id, a negro, who, borrowing a 
horse, rode in all haste to report it in all the camps. Our poet, 
Fahad eben Sbejh, was greatly affected by the news brought 
by A‘id, to whom he had lent his horse, yet he soon learned 
that the raiders had been at once pursued by Eben Sa‘ lan, 
overtaken by him at Habra Rmejh at the beginning of the 
al-Herr valley, and that, besides recapturing all the herds 
from them, Eben Sa‘lan had also killed their commander, 
Eben Hagsag, with his sons. Fahad therefore urges A‘id to 
spread this true account so as to give Eben Sa‘lan the credit 
due to him. 

Verse 1. Al-‘araé is a poetical expression for a worn leather 
saddle. 2. Hamldn is a jester, a laugher, or babbler. Samajel 
means well-founded reports; sdmel al-kilme, the truth. A 
market place, suk, is frequented by people from all sides who 
receive and spread news. 3. Bardrit are desolate waterless 
regions. The negro Hmar thought the proper spelling of the 
word was bardrid, meaning men armed with rifles. 4. Habra 
is a Shallow but often very extensive depression in a vast plain 
where the rain water remains for a long time. Habra Rmejh 
hes near the beginning of the valley of al-Herr. 5. Mensab 
is a poetical expression for the lesser chiefs or their relatives. 
Raseh ‘an al-maten mdjel, he received a saber stroke in his 
throat, which was not cut through completely, so that the head 
remained hanging by the skin of the throat and then fell on 
the small of his back, maten, from which it rolled. to one side, 
majel. Rwagid are handfuls of cut grain laid crosswise. ~ 


Wars Between the Rwala and the Beni Wahab (1850—1864) 


The Rwala were wont to encamp for a few. weeks every year 
in the fertile an-Nukra territory on the west slope of the Haw- 
ran in order to supply themselves with all they needed during 
their ten months stay in the desert. But their encamping was 
resisted by the Beni Wahab, led by Eben Smejr, head chief of 
the Weld ‘Ali. Long wars followed. The head chief, Muham- 
mad eben Smejr, succeeded also in winning to his side some 


WAR AND PEACE 581 
kins of the al-ESage‘a clan, yet all the other tribes of which 
the al-Mihlef group was formed remained faithful to the Rwala, 
ma ehtalafat ‘an matabbha déjmen ma‘ ar-rwala dikill Saj-en 
(sic! not s°). Many years after, when both sides had lost great 
numbers of men, Muhammad eben Smejr and Prince Sattam 
eben Sa‘lan met, were reconciled, and both buried all the fallen 
men and the captured animals; tekd‘adow w- tesdlahow w-te- 
hafarow w-teddfanow al- madbiih min ar-ragal w-al-meahid min 
al-halal. Consequently, neither of them could make any further 
demands, and they were forever relieved of all responsibility, 
killeh hafi. The Beni Wahab as well as the Al Glas, to whom 
the Rwala belong, became and remained good Penae keeping 
faith with each other even under difficult cir cumstances, bil- 
hene’ w-as-sife’. And so it is even today when an-Niri is the 
head chief, bSajhat an-nitiri. 


1. Ja rdéebin kwar hejlen mesd%ib 
arba® abkdren hil min zummar al-hig 
2. hejzen haggat hejzen jesigen al-masdlib 
kejf an-nisdma zaffat al-hegen bel-hrig 
3. mirbdhen ma haddar at-tinf tarrib 
wa-mkizahen ‘an herwat al-ross bel-mrig 
A. jelfen labu farhdan ‘atb al-asdwib 
en sar bel-fersdn zieg w-maz tg 
dD. zegzum hamlat wariden al-mzérib 
en tarramow hemr at-twdzi ‘ala-s-sig 
6. kil 74 hmud la jegzak safk w- “ardzib 
en entasar jetak ber-regel babiig 
7. ‘endak habar ba‘adak ‘an as-Sejh tezrib 
w-riz az-zaal bén al-haribén mamgug 
8. fejsal Sara’-l-gejduir bemfdsel an-nib 
w-hatwa-l-hsan mraba ar-ras hajiig 
9. fejsal elja’ nassab ‘ala-s-sejf tensib 
w-ma fazgah min kalb “dzel w-haghig 
10. henna ‘ala-l-gejdir hakk w-tekdzitb 
w-enda-l-glas mudawwer al-hakk maflig 
11. awldd ‘abdallah baldhom tarow ttb 
emharahom tow'dt w-arkdbahom ‘tig 
12. w-7d hejf ja fakkak “vig al-metdlib 
ben al-hwélef w-as-seragif mardg 
13. jetni kafa’-hla-z-zhur al-mahddib 
w-hulli éema cabsen wara-z-zdn marjig 


582 


A 


10. 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


14. akfow ma* hak at-tla* az-zanabib 
w-hejl al-aliz murabbataten ‘ala gug 
15. w-‘ejfe jesadder fatereh lel-ma‘dzib 
jedur bel-belka mkdsid margug 
16. 74 hejf ‘e7fe mad jeddni-l-lwahib 
halkeh wast’ w-lakmeteh tekil dahrig 
17. w-‘an suk eben Sa‘lan hakk w-tekdzib 
w-harrdag tara min katar al-herg masmiug. 


O ye who ride in the saddles of stubborn she-camels, 
On four young sterile she-camels, slender ones from al- 
His — 


. Like an ostrich they run, moving their upper parts; 


The heroes can rest when their. saddlebags are raised 
like wings by the riding camels! 


. In the spring they grazed southwest of at-Tinf, 


But in midsummer at al-Mrag, far from the heat which 
brings bone diseases. 


. They will come to Farhan’s father, that tormenter of 


the wounded, 
In a struggle of riders, when one vanquishes and the 
other is vanquished, 


. To the protector of loads, freighted for al-Mzérib, 


When the redcaps fix the day of complaints. 


. Say: “OQ Hmud! he surely will reward thee with cuffs 


and kicks, 
And, if victorious, will tread on thee as on a slipper. 


. Thou must know what it means for thee to be far from 


the chief and what to be near him, 
Also that the spittle of anger has long ago been spat 
out between the fighters.” 


. Fejsal bought al-Gejdir with the help of those with 


worn teeth 
And of a few rutting stallions with their square heads. 


. Firmly did Fejsal grasp his sword by the handle, 


Oh, how terrified was the heart of the cautious and 
the incautious too! 

We are entitled to al-Gejdir both by right and by pos- 
session. 

And the Glas think one who seeks his right is already 
vanquished. 


WAR AND PEACE 583 


11. ‘Abdallah’s descendants, behold! have recovered from 
their illness, 
Their young mares obey and their men turn round [on 
the command]. 
12. Oh, shame! that solver of the most intricate disputes 
Was wounded between his left shoulder blade and his 
13. He that protected the bent [fleeing] riders [first rib! 
Was deserted like a wether left behind by the flock and 
dying of the rowge disease. 
14. They fled through those narrow gullies yonder 
And today keep their horses, fed only from food bags, 
tied up at al-Gig, 
15. ‘Ejfe with his old she-camel searches for a host, 
And in the land of al-Belka hands around pots of whey 
diluted with water, 
16. Oh, shame! ‘Ejfe goes no more near the flames of war! 
His throat is so widened that his mouthful is like a 
bundle meant for a camel. 
17. Concerning Eben Sa‘lan’s market place I declare that 
it is ours by right and possession; 
He who denies it is for his babble justly despised by all. 


The author of this poem was Jisef eben M&ejd; the reciter, 
Hmar abu ‘Awwad. 


Verse 1. Mesd%b are camels which have been ridden only 
for a short time, tawwah ma‘stifdt. They are very fast and 
equally disobedient. Al-Hag is the territory of the Sararat 
north of Tejma, in which lies the watering place of al-Hawga. 
The Sararat breed riding camels of very slender build but 
of great endurance. 2. He7z is a male ostrich. The camels run 
like a scared male ostrich; as he moves his wings and hips 
while running, so does a running camel move her shoulder 
blades, the small of the back, and the saddle frame. When 
a good riding camel begins to trot fast, both halves of the 
saddle bag rise, its fringe flutters in the breeze, and it seems 
as if the camel had wings and were trying to lift herself with 
them as the ostrich does. Hegen is a poetical term used in- 
stead of recdjeb or delul in the singular. Nigdma is a word 
used of hardy and fearless young men. Kejf is always a 
substantive, ce7f an adverb of interrogation. The faster the 
she-camel trots, the more comfortable is the seat of the rider. 


584 RWALA BEDOUINS 


5. Mirba’ and mekiz are pastures in the time of rabi* and 
in midsummer. At-Tinf is an isolated hill in the northeastern 
part of al-Hamad. In the time of rabi° the country around 
at-Tinf is covered thickly with grasses and perennials, but 
no spring water is to be found anywhere near. As soon as 
the rain water in the habdri or rain pools evaporates, noth- 
ing is left to the Rwala but to depart. After this they stay 
for some time on the east or south border of the Hawran, 
and in the al-kéz season they camp in al-Mrtg, on the nu- 
merous meadows south and southeast of Damascus. The abun- 
dance of spring water there protects the camels from the 
al-ross disease which attacks the bowels, especially those of 
the young she-camels. 4. Abu Farhan was a nickname of 
Muhammad eben Smejr, the chief of the Weld ‘Ali tribe, his 
eldest son being Farhan. The poet calls him ‘atb al-asdwib, 
a torment to the wounded, because the wounds caused by his 
blows were slow in healing. 5. The Weld ‘Ali had under- 
taken to transport half of the supplies destined for Mecca and 
al-Medina as well as half of the pilgrims from al-Mzérib, 
south of Damascus, to Medajen Saleh, or al-Hegr. Muhammad 
eben Smejr guaranteed to the Turkish officials, who from 
their red tarbushes were called hemr at-twdzi, redcaps, note 
only the safety of the transport but also its punctual delivery, 
tarramow ‘ala-s-sig. The latter word means a complaint or 
an accusation; ent musawwag is equivalent to ‘ale7zk da‘awa: 
an accusation was brought against thee. For failing to keep 
to the time agreed on or for despoiling the caravan Muhammad 
was liable to prosecution by the Turkish officials. He was 
therefore dependent on them, as if he were their slave. The 
second half of the transport and the pilgrims were convoyed 
by the Beni Sahr as far as Ma‘an, from this place by the 
Beni ‘Atijje to Tebtk, and thence by the Beli to Medajen 
Saleh. 6. With Muhammad eben Smejr the chief of the Esage‘a 
clan, Hmtd eben Me‘gel, originally an ally of the Rwala, was 
staying at that time. 7. The poet informs him that he should 
ponder upon the position he occupies with Muhammad and 
also begs him not to be angry with him for taking this liberty. 
They fight each other, therefore the spittle of rage has al- 
ready been spat out between them. 8. Fejsal, the father of 
Talal and brother of Hazza‘, captured al-Gejdar, a territory 
southwest of Damascus, with the help of hardy, old, and there- 
fore prudent warriors and of a few bold young chiefs. Me- 


WAR AND PEACE 585 


fasel an-nib are she-camels, but also people whose teeth are 
worn down from long use. In the breeding of horses, stallions 
are sometimes used whose heads appear square when seen 
from the front. If sexually excited, such horses will shrink 
from no danger, like a young chief who desires to win the 
support of his clan. Should he not gain their full confidence 
and admiration, another chief will be chosen. 9. Haghug, or 
gahel, is a reckless, incautious person. 10. As a matter of fact 
the Rwala by occupying al-Gejdir were the lords of that ter- 
ritory and thus had a right to it. Their opponents wished to 
have their right to al-Gejdir reéstablished. The poet makes 
merry over the circumstance that with the Rwala and their 
allies, the descendants of Al Glas, one who seeks his right, 
mudawwer al-hakk, is no more esteemed than one who has 
already lost it, maflig. He that is strong will not allow his 
right to be taken away from him. He who seeks it, therefore, 
has lost it. The descendants of ‘Abdallah, like Hmud, joined 
the poet’s enemies but owned their mistake, returned to their 
relatives, and obeyed them. 12. Fakkdk ‘vig al-metdlib was 
the name given to Minwer al Tajjar, a celebrated judge, ‘drefa, 
who could solve disputes even after the most confused state- 
ments of the contending parties. After being seriously wounded 
by a bullet which entered his breast through his left side, 
serdgif, and passed out above the heart between the shoulder 
blade and spine, he was shamelessly deserted by his own people. 
13. He that singlehanded used to defend his cowardly compan- 
ions, who bent their backs, al-mahddib, with fright on their 
galloping horses, hla-z-zhur, lay there like a wether dying of 
the rowge disease. 14. The defeated enemy were afraid to 
let their horses out to graze; therefore they kept them tied 
up in the hamlet of Gig, feeding them only from the food bag, 
‘aliz. 15. “Ejfe, a relative of the poet, also went over to the 
enemy and after the defeat did not know how to become re- 
conciled with his clan. In the territory of al-Belka he went 
from one host to another, where, after drinking himself, he 
had to pass the pannikin filled with margig to the other 
guests. Margug is a mixture of milk or whey and water. 
The poet scoffs at him because he, a Bedouin who would have 
considered it a disgrace to offer his guests anything less than 
pure milk, must now be satisfied with margiig. 16. ‘Ejfe was 
tired of fighting, but would not return to his people, for he 
neither could nor would be content with a subordinate position. 


586 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


He is insatiable, halkeh wasi‘, and needs a mouthful as big 
as dahrug, a large handful of rolled-up grass handed to a 
camel whole and also chewed whole by the animal but swal- 
lowed piecemeal. 


te 


2. 


D. 


A, 


17, 


LS; 


Ja rdéeben horren elja sirt madddd 
nab ad-defuf w-gaflen mutrasani 

jelfi lamhammad mwarit al-agwdd 
waddak tehtf lehjeteh bel-hsdmi 

‘ajj@? ‘an as-suhbe jowm hije bel-awddd 
w-hakwah ketr meldsef as-Sejsehani 
gab al-asdéer min wara min rad ° 
w-ahi twil al-felg w-at-turkmani 


.w-lammaw bihom rabs min al-roll zahhdd 


w-mharremin al-man* hw w-al-hesani 


. awlad megles surbat al-harb w-an-nakkdd 


min fowk hilen mukrammaten asmdni 


. ekharaw hal al-geda ‘ala ‘ujtin al-ashad 


elja? ma tebajjen gam‘ahom bel-bajani 


. raddaw ‘aleyjhom raddeten ma beha sndd 


wa-tsallemaw haggag w-al-hammaddani 


. w-awlad gam‘an tekel ‘askar akrdd 


min ad-damm bellaw jabs al-murgumani 


. bemkarraradt ramihen sowb besmad 


bras al-ara w-en ahtateh bel-hsdni 


. w-eljw kba nekzaha tesned asndd 


w-mzajjenin melhahen bel-wazadni 


. w-gmu eben smejr rahat sarrdd 


jilemmahom lemm al-‘amad bes-sebani 


. alli dubah minna min wara-s-sejl min rad 


w-mowteh hakik w-malfah al-genani 


. ahadna medddhom elfén ba‘dad 


nasfen fehim w-nasfehom turtumani 


. wéleh ‘ala hokmeh mabti w-al-agdad 


w-endeleh ber-rijdz al-amani 


. harabt rab‘en jezteltinak bel-ab‘ad 


gasi-l-hadid elja tma‘‘enineh lani 
as-Sejh ahu dinja furiisen w-mu‘tdd 
w-azm alli jethaneh jowdas marmahdani 
elja’ sijjigen harab sbejbeh w-la ‘ad 
wa-mtadajjeren tekel katiden ‘omani 


1. 


13. 


14. 


WAR AND PEACE O87 


19. al-jakin ‘aglen w-en bara minna-l-afwdad 
w-jowm enhazam erha-r-rasan w-al-endni 
20. dahzaw bujit al-harb 7a gdé Sarrdd 
‘an wagh mitl madkeb ad-dejdehani. 


O thou who ridest, when starting on a journey, a 
thoroughbred camel 

With bulging hips, one that shies and is used to jour- 
neys hither and thither, 


. When thou comest to Muhammad, the heir of noble | 


I desire thee to shave his chin with a razor. [ heroes, 


. He has refused our friendship while we were willing, 


For he was dazzled with the flash from soldiers’ rifles. 


. He brought soldiers from far away 


With the dwellers in Hermon and the Turcomans, 


. And then near them assembled a throng of people burn- 


ing with rage, 
And both he and Hasan forbade pardon. 


. Sons of men of counsels, a fighting troop of prudent 


On sterile she-camels, famous and fat, [observers 


. Before witnesses drove back the protectors of Ged‘a 


As soon as their troop came into view. 


. They returned to the attack, but the return did not 


maintain its course, 
So that the Haggag and Hamamde kins yielded them- 
selves. 


. Thou wouldst say that Gam‘an’s sons were Kurdish 


soldiers, 
So have they besprinkled scorched stone heaps with blood 


. By their steel rifles, each shot of which reaches its goal; 


If not some agha’s head, then it is his stud horse. 


. When their rifles’ load is once fired, it will not depart 


from its course, 
For they first weigh each bit of powder. 


. In quick flight Eben Smejr’s troop vanished, 


So that he gathered them up one by one as the tent 
poles tied with ropes are picked up for migration. 
Those of our men who fell far beyond the creek, 
Their death is atoned for, their pastures now are in 
For blood price we took two thousand lives, _ [ Paradise. 
A half of whom understood us, while half were barbarians. 


588 RWALA BEDOUINS 


15. Woe to their chief for his reign! Long has it endured 
in his kin, 
And he might peacefully rest in the irrigated depressions. 
16. Thou hast begun a war with a tribe that can strike 
thee from afar, 
As even the hardest iron yields when thou takest pains 
to bore it. 
17. The chief, Ahu Dinja, is accustomed to heroic deeds, 
And the bone he grinds will change into flour. 
18. As soon as the rutting she-camels dashed out, Sbejbeh 
fled, not to return, 
And like an ‘Oman camel forgot all prudence. 
19. Al-Jakin, too, hurried, though longing for our supplies, 
And in his flight loosened both rope and rein. 
20. On war tents they trod, O Gdé‘! when fleeing 
From our face, just as the followers of the leader with 
the wild poppy-red tarbush. 


The poet was Menzel eben Durmi; the reciter, ‘Awde al- 
Kweébi, aided by Hmar abu ‘Awwad. Muhammad eben Smejr 
was a dangerous enemy, firz nedd; tenacious in executing 
his plans, lowlab miftah; of indomitable will, rd‘ al-ger‘a; and 
greatly devoted to the Turkish Government. Unable to defeat 
the Rwala, he asked for Turkish help. This was given him 
by the commander of the Turkish garrison in Syria, who sent 
him a cavalry corps composed of regular troops and of Druse, 
Turcoman, and Kurdish volunteers. To avoid the threatening 
danger the Rwala asked some chiefs who were friendly both 
with Muhammad and themselves to intercede, but they accom- 
plished nothing. Then they sent imploring letters, jetadahhelin 
‘alejh, which Muhammad answered with the threat that he 
would not become their friend before he had crushed them 
with help of the military. Fearing Muhammad’s strength, 
some of the Rwala’s allies deserted them at this moment. 
Driven to desperation, the Rwala now sent their herds in 
charge of their wives and children to the inner desert, §ar- 
rakow, mounted their camels, surprised Muhammad and his 
Turkish auxiliaries, cut off their return into the settled ter- 
ritory, and drove them into the desert, where many of them 
perished either by arms or thirst. 

Verse 1. The male camel is wiry, but the she-camel more 
enduring. Sunk-in loins are a sign of exhaustion in a camel. 


WAR AND PEACE 589 


One in that condition cannot be frightened. The fatter a camel, 
the more spirited and nervous it is. Mutrasdni is a camel 
used mostly on shorter journeys. 2. Muhammad eben Smejr 
lost his honor, therefore he should lose his beard too. To 
Shave a man’s beard is the greatest punishment among the 
Rwala. Ehsdn or hsdni is a razor used in shaving, jehassent. 
4. Twil al-Felg, the High Mountain Covered With Snow, here 
means Hermon, inhabited chiefly by the Druses. 5. Zahhdd, ‘aj- 
jaf, or za‘lén min roll are men who cannot show their hatred. 
Al-man‘ means pardoning an enemy who yields. The pardoned 
enemy, mani", may remain in the tent until he has an oppor- 
tunity to return home. Muhammad and Hasan Pasha, the com- 
mander of the Turkish soldiers, declared that every Rwejli 
— even if he had yielded — should be slain. 6. The awldd 
megles were members of the Sa‘lan reigning kin. They with 
their servants and slaves were the first to attack the ESage‘ a, 
Muhammad’s allies, whose war cry was: “Rd al-ged‘a ana- 
ben me‘gel; O protector of Ged‘a, I am Eben Me‘ gel!’ 8. Sndd 
denotes a definite course. Md beha sndd means either that 
the Hsage‘a were compelled to change their direction or that 
their counter attack did not meet with success. Eben Haggas 
and Hamamde are kins of the Weld ‘Ali, subject to Muhammad 
eben Smejr. 9. Awlad Gam‘an was the name given to Da‘man, 
Nsejr, and SAS, the three heroes of the Sa‘lan kin. The 
Kurdish Otenitecra wore red waistcoats and red tunics. 10. 
Makrura is a rifle of the original make, not an imitation. 
Sowb besmad, direction to the goal; sémed sowb signifies a 
marksman who hits his target, md jihti. 138. Mowteh hakik: 
as if a sacrifice, hakika, had been brought for him; his death 
is atoned for. In the opinion of the Rwala fallen warriors 
are allotted wide pastures in Paradise by Allah. 14. Turtuméni 
is a derisive name for the Turks, Turcomans, and Kurds, whose 
languages the Rwala do not understand. 17. A&- Sejh Abu Dinja 
alludes to Najef ahu Dinja, the first of the Sa‘lan family to 
rule the Rwala. 18. The camels of the attacking Rwala were 
so spirited that they neighed as if rutting and dashed at the 
enemies as if they were camels for whom they were craving. 
Sbejbeh was the commander of the regular cavalry. 19. ‘Agel 
al-Jakin, an officer subordinate to Sbejbeh, wanted to ambush 
the camels carrying grain and other foodstuffs to the Rwala 
before their return to the inner desert. A horse usually has 
two halters, one without a bridle, which holds the rope for 


590 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


tethering, the other provided with a bridle and rein. 20. De7- 
dehani means the commander of the Turkish corps, whose 
military cap was as red as the wild poppy. Gdé° eben Mashir 
was a hero of the Eben Sa‘lan kin. 


is 


2. 


Ja radéebin kwar hilen ‘ardmis 
jetwen mid msdhamat al-hezimi 
hilen tekubb. ‘ulttkahen ben-nisdnis 
rakkabahen ma jistazaff al-hedimi 


. hezzow al-mangub al-hardr al-melahis 


qibri-l-alil nisdehen ‘okob nowmi 


. gimsen brai muéajjes al-ka taéjis 


mamsa tamadnt ajjam lel-hegen jowmi 


. subh at-talate brejb al-gan wa-blis 


temsun bedijar ar-refaika lezimi 


. w-elja’ lifejtu mutabin al-mahadmis 


Ja “ejal hatow min rardjeb ‘elimi 


. telfi mhammad str hejlen mardwis 


habb al-hawa lak ja ‘andn al-“ezimi 


. ‘an labetak kadmat tegaddam ‘an al-cis 


tekagzebu lemkattein al-hezimi 


. mararef al-atma rahi mefalis | 


min garb sif mugarrebin. al-ekrumi 


. €ejf al-wahak jarmi ‘arid al-kerdnis 


mad beh hlaf w-‘agzen la jekumi 


. hdlow ‘alejh w-necées al-awd tencis 


jeluz bezija as-segar tekel bimi 


. sdrat ‘elimeh kill abtiha hamdlis 


7a bint ‘an mitleh hak al-jowm simi 


. habb al-hawa 7a ddjerin an-nwdmis 


besuf nawlana zuwij) al-“ezimi. 


1. O ye who ride in the saddles of sterile, hardened she- 


camels 


Which are running through distant, multicolored hillocks! 
2. These are the sterile she-camels at whose fast gait 


the loads flutter in the air 


So that their rider cannot hold his garment with his foot. 
3. Show a stick with its bark peeled off to thoroughbred 


and eager she-camels, 


Whose steady though fast pace will cure a sick man 


when he awakens from sleep. 


WAR AND PEACE 591 


4. They keep to one course like one who has well sur- 
veyed a plain; 
An eight-days’ journey the riding camels make in one day. 
5. On Tuesday morning —Oh, may both the ghost and 
devil vanish! — 
Ye will be in the allied country where ye must spend 
the night. 
6. AS soon as ye, exhausted, reach those who are ever 
roasting coffee, 
O sons! give them your wondrous news. 
7. Thou wilt reach Muhammad, that wall who protects 
the horse covered with sweat. 
May the breeze of good fortune blow upon thee, O thou 
tried bridle! 
8. And as to thy people, they began to crawl from a sack, 
For ye must block the road against those who traverse 
the parallel hillocks. 
9. They brought big spoons of greed but left empty-handed 
Because of the spear wounds dealt by those who ride 
the fiercest riding animals. 
10. What! will fright throw the molting genius? 
Nothing has befallen him, and yet he does not rise. 
11. When our warriors reached him the old man belied 
his former words, 
Crawling like an owl among the roots of perennials. 
12. His fame, no matter by whom spread, proved a lie. 
O daughter of mine! beware of one who acts like him 
on that day. 
13. May the breeze blow good fortune towards you who 
seek a good reputation 
With the help of our Lord steadfast in his decisions. 


Muhammad eben Smejr, the head chief of the Weld ‘Ali, 
became reconciled with the Rwala and promised not to allow 
the Fed‘an to cross his territory when bent on raiding the 
Rwala. It was then that he used the expression that he would 
hold both his people and the Fed‘an as if in a sack, “és, from 
which nobody would crawl out against his will. But soon after 
the Fed‘an did cross, while many of Eben Smejr’s own men 
joined them and attacked the Rwala again. They were defeated 
and lost many of their own horses and camels, captured by 
the Rwala. In this raid the Fed‘an poet, Mehda’ al-Hebdani, 


592 RWALA BEDOUINS 


also took part; in some of his poems he had boasted of his 
bravery and threatened to humble the Rwala. During the 
attack Mehda’s mare stumbled, takanta‘at, and threw him 
to the ground; fearing for his life, he crawled into the bushy 
perennials, where the Rwala youths found him. Prince Sattam, 
before whom he was brought, let him go free, after some 
sarcastic remarks. Muhammad al Mhelhel, one of the Rwala 
poets, then composed this poem and sent it to Muhammad 
eben Smejr. I learned it from Hmar abu ‘Awwad. 

Verse 1. ‘Ardmis are she-camels which may be depended 
upon not to run away at night but to shift for themselves in 
the matter of food and to endure even the greatest fatigue. 
Mid means far away, distant. Hazm is an elevation, rather 
low, but long, and dotted with many small hillocks. These 
hzum usually run parallel. When shining in the sun’s rays they 
assume variegated colors, white, pink, and bluish — whence 
their name, msdhamdt, multicolored. 2. The rider’s garment 
is blown up when his camel walks at a fast pace against the 
wind. His cloak waves like wings, the long sleeves of his 
shirt fly up above his head, and its hem is lifted up, baring 
his legs to the knees. When this happens the rider wraps 
both the lower part of his shirt and the foreparts of his 
cloak around his legs and presses his knees to the camel in 
order to keep his garment close to his body, jistazaff. 3. If 
the rider wants his camel to go fast for a length of time, 
he grasps in his right hand the small stick hanging by a band 
from his wrist and holds it straight out over the animal’s 
head. With the motion of the camel the hand holding the 
stick moves too; this action is called hezz, rocking or quick 
pace. A mangub is a small stick from which the bark has 
been peeled off, no matter what its shape may be or what 
the wood it is made of. Al-meldhis are she-camels which push 
to the front all the time, so that they must be held back with 
the stick. Therefore, “Hlhas had-delul, make go back, push back 
this riding camel,’ has almost the same meaning as “Hzreb 
had-delul, strike, hit, this riding camel.” Nisa is a long, regular 
pace, during which even a sick man can fall asleep. 4. Hegen 
is never used in common speech; the poet thus prefers words 
which are seldom heard. A Bedouin would say reédjeb or, in 
the singular, delul. 6. The Weld ‘Ali are known to be great 
lovers of black coffee. They are said always to be roasting, 
grinding, and making coffee. 7. Hejlen mardwis signifies a 


WAR AND PEACE 593 


troop of riders who, by exerting their whole strength, have 
come up with the enemy but are in danger because their 
perspiring and fatigued mares may succumb. Muhammad eben 
Smejr interposed himself between the tired mares of his com- 
rades and the enemy, like a strong wall holding back the 
hostile onslaught. 8. Kamat tegaddam ‘an al-tis is said of 
small animals held in a sack when they begin to stick out 
their heads and try to escape. Zazzebti lehom: prevent them 
from returning, from reaching the watering place, etc. 9. 
Kkrum is a poetical expression for spirited mares and she- 
camels, which have not long been ridden. Only an experienced 
rider will dare to mount them, and even such a rider is often 
thrown. Morrafa is a big wooden spoon for taking meat from 
the kettle. The Fed‘an brought big spoons of greed expecting 
to capture many herds of camels. 10. Zernds (pl., kerdnis) 
are grown animals losing their hair, molting. Here the ex- 
pression ‘arid al-kerdnis, a molting celebrity, means the poet 
Mehda’, whose head was almost bald and whose beard was very 
thin. “Md beh hlaf: there is nothing the matter with him, it is 
not so bad with him”, is usually said after a sick, wounded, or 
injured person has been examined for the first time. 11. Neéées 
tencis: by his cowardly behavior he belied all his claims to 
bravery; he proved them all to be idle words — and those 
who believed and spread them, spread lies. 


Wars Between the Rwala and the Fed‘an (1877—1900) 


The head chief of the Fed‘an tribe left this world, dara’; 
and his son, Turki eben Mhejd, was recognized as his suc- 
cessor. He was classed with the heroic men, ¢dn je‘edd min 
ar-ragdl al-fursdn, and had great success on his frequent raids, 
sdr bahit be!l-mardri. Therefore he was famous all over the 
desert, w-kad istahar siteh. Once he attacked the Rwala. Sattam 
eben Sa‘lan, the prince of this tribe, was unwilling to fight 
him, mad hw bdri kwamteh, as he loved him, édn leh tajjeb, 
and was related to him, nasibeh, having married his sister, 
Turkijje, whom he kept with him all the time, hi ‘endeh. But 
Turki continued to provoke the Rwala incessantly. At one 
time he fell upon, rar ‘ala, a clan of the Kwaébe tribe who 
were in the act of migrating, compelled: them to construct 
a war camp, nawwahhom, and then fought them from morn- 
ing until mid-afternoon, ila-l-‘asr w-al-kown “aged bénhom. 


594 RWALA BEDOUINS 


After having killed some men and women, zilm w-harim, he 
robbed them of all he could, ahadhom, and returned with the 
booty to his kin, ila haleh. 

Shortly afterwards he undertook a new raid against the 
Rwala, assailed the herds of the Al Zejd kin in the depres- 
sion of al-Hor, and took all their camels together with the ‘Alja 
herd, which consisted only of white she-camels, mardtir, and 
which had belonged to them from ancient times; isemha al- 
‘alja w-hi mardtir w-zedime ‘endahom ‘ala dawr gdiudhom. 
These camels were then entrusted to the special care of ‘Arsan 
abu Zidle. On his return Turki caught a member of the Rwala 
tribe, kazab kazib min ar-rwala zelema, and, after learning 
from him where the prince was encamped, he let him go on 
his way but in parting shouted: 

“Greet my relative Sattam and tell him that he should 
not allow himself to become a chief of nomads raising goats 
and sheep, because there is grass enough in al-Hamad this 
year; la jsir Sajh as-sikkara w-al-eseb bel-hamdd waged.” 

The man gave this message to the head chief Sattam, 
‘allem sattam bhdda-l-gawéb, who, enraged, instantly ex- 
claimed: 

“Oh, that man! Let Allah decide between us and him. 
Héda-r-raggadl jesuf allah lena w-leh. We did not want to 
fight him, but he provokes us all the time, w-hw mubtalina. 
O ye Arabs, shoe your horses and get your supplies ready, 
for tomorrow we shall go on a raid as ordered by our highest 
commander; ja ‘arab ehdu hejlkom w-ehsu zehadbkom w-henna 
tardna baéer meddddeh razw bamr al-hddi.” 

In that part of al-Hamad called al-Herijjan the Rwala 
warriors sighted a herd of camels and also caught a man, to 
whom they said: 

“Who are these Arabs? minhom hal-‘arab hadble.” His 
answer was: 

“They are the Al Mhejd, hadéla Gl mhejd.” | 

Sattam then found a camping place for his men which 
was well hidden from casual observation and at night sent 
a special messenger, nadir, to warn the head chief Turki eben 
Mhejd in these words: 

“We undertook a raid against ye, gina henna ‘alejkom 
razw, not knowing that thou wert encamped on our route. 
Yet it has already happened, and now I cannot prevent my 
people from attacking you, w-lad atmakken aruddhom ‘an al- 


WAR AND PEACE 595 


rara ‘alejkom. Think it over! If thou believest thou canst 
beat us, tantehna, behold! here we are, hd henna gindk, but 
in my opinion thou shouldst make thine escape tonight, wa- 
bsowfti ennak tehegg bhdda-l-lejl, and keep at a distance from 
us, w-truh “an waghana. If thou dost that, we shall come to- 
morrow to thy camp, see that thou art gone, stop a while, 
and then return to our kinsfolk; nanéef w-narga‘ ila halna.” 

After hearing the message Turki instantly said: 

“God will help us against them, ‘alejhom ma‘tinaten min 
allah. Tomorrow I shall fight them, bdéer lazem atnateh 
mahom.” 

The next day the Rwala came like a whirlwind, attacked 
the camp, entered it, and possessed themselves of all the 
herds there, including the one called ‘Alja, which had been 
captured by Turki some time before. Halaf 4l Iden killed, as 
was the will of God, bamr allah, the great chief Turki himself, 
and took his mail shirt, der‘ateh, his saber, and his mare, 
one of the fleetest of horses, faraseh Génat min gijdd al-hejl. 
Halaf offered this mare to Sattam as a gift. 

After Turki’s death there broke out between the Rwala 
and Fed‘an a war so cruel that rider after rider fell off his 
horse, w-“dd at-tarih bénhom mda jetih, and the members of 
. both tribes were bent more on killing a man than on capturing 
animals, w-sdr ‘enda-l-farizén dabh az-zelema ahsan min éasb 
al-haldl. 

Another version of Turki’s death is as follows: 

“It was at the time of abundance, when we set out against 
Turki eben Mhejd. He was generally called al-Hadd4b, meaning 
omnipresent, as never half a month passed without news com- 
ing in of a fresh attack*by him on some Rwala camp near 
or far. Many a warrior was afraid of him, the women fright- 
ened their children with his name, and the herdsmen were 
reluctant to drive the herds out of the camps. Finally Sattam 
agreed with other chiefs to undertake a raid against him. 
Personally he liked Turki, for besides being a-brother of his 
favorite wife, Turkijje, he was also a man of noble mind and 
honest. The Rwala, however, threatened to depose Sattam if he 
would not crush Turki once for all. We were encamped in az- 
Zrejbinat at the time. Sattam set out for the decisive fight with 
six hundred riders on horseback and eight hundred on camels, 
he himself being the commander-in-chief. The ESage‘a clan 
was led by Eben Me‘gel, the ‘Abdelle by Eben Mgejd, and the 


596 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Sirhan by Eben Merdeg. Halaf al Iden was Sattém’s chief 
lieutenant. First we drank from the Hubejrat ad-Dahal, then 
we found water at the head of al-Radaf, crossed as-Swab, 
and saw a small camp of the Slejb, who told us that Turki 
was encamped at al-Heri. In al-Radaf Sattam hired a Slubi 
and sent him at night secretly to Turki. The Slubi overtook 
the latter on the march to a new camp, made a sign to him 
to come nearer, and then gave him the message he was en- 
trusted with: 

‘O Turki! I was sent to thee by thy brother Sattam. 
The Rwala are on thy heels, desiring thy life.’ 

“This enraged Turki to such an extent that he drew his 
saber menacingly and commanded the Slubi to be gone, with 
the words: 

‘Leave at once! Let nothing of what thou hast now said 
to me escape thee. If thou utterest a single word before my 
people, I shall kill thee. Am I, from whom the Rwala have 
fled so often, expected now to run away from them?’ 

“Turki’s slaves wondered not a little why he had his tent 
erected so far southwest from the camp. 

“We first sent five of our scouts on horses, ‘“ujzin, to ex- 
amine the country ahead of us, but these turned back as 
soon as they caught a glimpse of the camp fires. In the 
morning we sent out others, this time on camelback, sbir. 
One of them soon returned with the report that the enemy 
was withdrawing in a northerly direction and was being fol- 
lowed by the rest of our scouts. We moved after them in a 
leisurely manner. Not long after noon a second scout finally 
came with the report that they had put up their tents and 
that coffee was being ground at Turki’s tent. 

“At that moment every rider mounted his horse, grasped 
his weapons and ammunition, and waited for the command. 
The commanders pointed out the places where the riders of 
tired or overburdened she-camels, radd, were to wait, placed 
the other camel riders, sdbur, between them and Turki’s camp, 
divided the horse troop into two halves, posting one of them 
on the flank of the sdbur to form the reserve, éemin, while 
with the other they decided to attack, rdra. Then we attacked 
the camp directly. At that time the Al ‘Awagi clan was also 
camping with Turki, so we had at once several hundred riders 
against us. The fight of rider against rider lasted till sunset. 
Turki exhausted six mares during that time, his slaves chang- 


WAR AND PEACE 597 


ing them at his command. An-Niri was wounded and many 
other Rwala, and still the fight was not yet decided. Sattam 
was loath to call up the reserve, for he wanted it either to 
decide the victory or to cover the retreat. 

“Finally Turki’s mare was hit by a shot. In falling she 
pressed his leg to the ground, and, as he was clad in a mail 
shirt, he could not free his leg quickly enough and was stabbed 
by a spear twice. At that moment Rarraf, Satt&ém’s slave, 
Sprang to the struggling chief in order to save him, pulled 
him from under the horse, and the women carried him into 
the tent, which was at once occupied by four of Satt&m’s 
Slaves as guards against the Rwala, inflamed by the battle. 
Turki’s fall having been observed and jubilantly announced 
by the attackers, the Fed‘an began to retreat but were in- 
tercepted by the reserve cavalry, while the camel riders, sdbir, 
sped to the camp to pick up both their dead and wounded 
friends. Halaf al Iden, who was left in charge of the camel 
riders, now reached the tent where Turki in the meantime 
was being cared for by Sattém himself, and was on the point 
of giving him the death blow but was prevented by Sattam, 
who threatened him with instant death should he lay a finger 
on his friend. Then Halaf called on his camel riders to come 
and get their enemy themselves. In response all the Rwala — 
and there were some five hundred of them — surrounded 
Turki’s tent, while Halaf spoke to the prince thus: 

“‘O Sattam! the Arabs do not fight on such conditions. 
Behold, we shall not ask thee again. I swear by Allah, if 
thou dost not give way, thou wilt roll into thy grave. Canst 
thou not see that the muzzles of all the rifles are pointing 
at thee?’ 

“Thus coerced, Sattam turned to Turki with the words: 
‘Forgive, my brother, and may. Allah also forgive me. There 
thou seest how my Rwala obey me. O Halaf, O thou rascal, 
sell me him whom thou wishest to destroy. I will give thee 
gold!’ 

‘Away with thee, brother! Knowest thou not that an- 
Nuri has fallen, that Kurdi, Naser eben Me‘égel, and countless 
others also have fallen today?’ 

“Nodding to his slaves, Sattém then with them left Turki’s 
tent, stricken with grief on hearing that an-Niri and his 
brother Kurdi were among the slain. Kurdi was dead, but 
an-Nuri still lived and later fully recovered. After Satt&m’s 


598 RWALA BEDOUINS 


departure the enraged Rwala threw themselves on Turki and 
beat him to death. They captured all the herds and tents in 
the camp. Over thirty Rwala had fallen, and about a hundred 
were wounded. Of the fallen the hero Za‘ejtel was the most 
lamented. They also lost twenty-five mares.” 


1. Ja raéeb alli masiha rowg w-arwag 
hajel teman sinin mahlan zaharha 
2. ma al-bejaha mastha al-‘asr diflag 
wa-hmime ma ‘omr al-mu'anna nazarha 
. telfi ‘ala mehda’ al-habaddin ma‘ag 
w-ehci-l-elum alli bkalbeh habarha 
4. kelt ehwat kutne harabina bela swag 
w-ekfow bsikhen ‘an mesdati dijarha 
5). w-al-elem sddez w-sdr len-nis negnig 
w-mel leh halile “af rassat tamarha 
6. w-sattam ‘ajjaw beh mahlin al-asrag 
w-kattaw ‘alejkom bigmi‘en hadarha 
7. 94 hzejl w-alldh kajem tekel sejjag 
w-tkawwedu serd as-salajel betarha 
8. w-hin ag-zaha sawwaw ‘ala-8-Sejh semag 
bsahabaten kest al-gwaher matarha 
9. w-turki sallawh muhlin al-asrag 
min ¢aff karmen sSaklabeh min zaharha 
10. w-hdda-l-fahar ma hi b'drin behbag 
alli ‘azal ‘ejlatakom ‘an hadarha 
11. 7a hejf ja-lli rabsateh mitl haddag 
bisjufena w-helw mantar hemarha 
12. abkarana ja hzejl min ra‘jet al-kafr sejjag 
w-abkarakom ja hzejl tera wabarha 
13. ekta@akom ‘an ritt al-hér tinsdg 
w-abkarana tehottaha binaharha. 


icy) 


1. O thou who ridest a she-camel with a regular pace, 
A sterile one, whose back has borne no burden for 
eight years! 
2. Over the plateau towards the evening she quickly trots, — 
For, being fleet of foot, throughout her life she has 
never been urged on by any rider. 
o. Reaching that babbler, Mehda’ al-Hebdani, 
Relate the tidings that he also well knows. 


4. 


10. 


Li: 


12. 


13. 


WAR AND PEACE 599 


I said that the sisters of Kutne attacked us, though not 
at feud, 

And their riders came back with our fair camels from 
where the herds spent the winter. 


. That news was true, and men shook their heads about it, 


And whoever had a wife ceased to press her breasts. 


. The throwers from the saddles would not obey Sattam 


And rushed upon you like a rolling flood. 


-O Hzejl! by Allah, Kajem was like a rutting camel 


And led a troop of fleet-footed mares in the wake of 
the captured she-camels. 


. Then when the dew had evaporated they prepared red 


dyestuff for your chief 
In a cloud of dust, dripping with blood and amid the 
thunder of costly weapons. 
A blow was dealt to Turki by the throwers from saddles, 
By the hand of a hero who rolled him from the mare’s 
back; 
And it is this deed which brought glory, not the capture 
of she-camels in a rolling land; 
This deed drove your families from the shelter of their 
tents. 
Oh, shame on him whose followers were like Haddag 
For our sabers! and how glorious the dripping of their 
blood! 
Our young camels, O Hzejl! grew gay with pasture which 
no one has touched, 
And your young camels, O Hzejl! are eating off their 
own hair. 
Your herds must not come near the rite in al-Hor 
Whilst our young camels move thither. 


The poet was Halaf al Iden eben Zejd; the reciters, Mindil 


al-Kati and ‘Awde al-Kwéébi. 


Verse 1. Rowg w-arwdg is a uniform, fast walk. For 


eight years the she-camels have neither been ridden nor used 
in carrying loads. 2. Bejéha is a plateau with a wide view 
on all sides. In the time of the day called al-‘asr, mid-after- 
noon, when the sun is sinking to the west, the rider on such 
a plateau may be seen from afar; therefore he urges his 
animal, fatigued by an.all-day march, to greater speed in 


600 RWALA BEDOUINS 


order to reach the rolling country where he can prepare 
supper for himself and let his camel graze at will. Nazarha: 
he urged it to greater speed with the words “Hejh! hejh!. Mu- 
‘anna is equivalent to tares, turki, a rider, a traveler. 3. Mehda’ 
al-Hebdani, a Fed‘an poet. 4. The Fed‘an war cry is: “Ana- 
hu kutne, I am the brother, protector, of the Kutne!” as they 
call all their herds. Hhwat kutne are the camels of the Fed‘an, 
who had attacked and captured many herds owned by the 
Rwala. 5. The news reached Prince Sattém, who was not in 
favor of making a raid in retaliation. This made the Rwala 
negnag: Shake their heads and criticize Sattam’s love of peace. 
Public opinion proving too strong for him, Sattam had finally 
to declare a raid. 7. Hzejl ar-Ru‘agi and his brother Kajem 
were Fed‘an heroes. 8. KeSt means the rattling of the falling 
rain and the rumbling of thunder. Has-sahdba leha kest: this 
cloud is bringing thunder and rain. 10. Hebge is a rolling 
country where it is possible to hide but also to be ambushed. 
In such a terrain the Rwala herds could easily be approached 
by the Fed‘an. After Turki’s death the victorious Rwala threw 
themselves on the tents and looted at will. ‘Ey7ldtakom are the 
Fed‘an women and children. 11. Haddag is a famous well in 
Tejma, from which as many as eighty buckets of water are 
drawn at once. The Rwala sabers, in like manner, drew the 
blood of Turki’s men. 12. Al-kafr: pastures which have not 
as yet been visited by anybody. The better the pasture the 
stronger becomes the sexual desire of both male and female 
camels in the second half of December and in January, and, 
as the retaliatory raid against Turki was made in February, 
the poet uses the words sejjag, rutting, for both camels and 
she-camels. 13. Al-Hor is a depression of some length in the 
center of the desert of al-Hamad, overgrown for the most 
part with rate. When they eat this the camels rapidly fatten. 
Nahar is the part of the she-camel’s breast directly under 
the throat. To say of a she-camel that she lays al-Hoér before 
her breast means that she goes directly there. 


Two years after Turki’s death the Fed‘an tribe made a 
fresh raid against the Rwala. Allah led them to a camp of 
the Sa‘lan kin, pitched, for lack of pasture, in a wholly isolated 
place at the beginning of the valley of as-Subihi in the 
district of ar-Rwésdat. Far and wide there were no Arabs 
who could have come to their aid. The raiding troop of the 


WAR AND PEACE 601 


Fed‘an numbered about 1200 men on horseback, while the 
warriors, sanam, of the Sa‘lan kin had no more than 200 hor- 
ses. Their herds were attacked and captured. As soon as the 
Fed‘an approached the Sa‘lan camp, cries for help were heard, 
w-ba‘ad wag’ al-mufazze’, and therefore the men of the Sa‘lan 
kin mounted their horses and hurried «after the Fed‘an. But 
the latter were much stronger numerically and, moreover, 
took up a position behind the herds captured from the Sa‘ lan, 
from where they shot one pursuer after another as they 
approached the herds; w-hdhom halken éetir w-dhedin at- 
tars w-dzelin wardha w-jel‘abiin ar-rafze ila-lli jelhakhom 
min al-faza w-jarminhom. Thus they avenged their great 
chief, Turki, rejoicing at the number of the Sa‘lan kin they 
killed; w-jestaddtin tar turki w- -kad istabsaru bahd at-tér min 
al Sa‘ladn hak al-jowm. At last the Sa‘lan warriors, reassembling, 
recognized that they were not strong enough to repel the 
enemy and that they were threatened with annihilation if 
they did not succeed in making their escape. Some cried: 

“Let us return and defend our camp and ourselves. For 
we see that these men have captured our herds and are con- 
cealed among them, and that only a troop as numerous as 
they could free the herds! Halliina narga‘ ‘ala hemjana lann 
ar-ragal ahadow al-helal w-dzelin kafah w-la jefukkah minhom 
ila gmu° citrhom.,” 

Others again urged: “Let us attack them, happen what 
Allah will; either these men will shoot us all and then take 
not only our herds but our horses too, or we shall free our 
herds; halluna nebi° ‘alejhom w-alli ‘end allah ‘endeh amma 
jarmuna ar-ragal w-jahdin hejlna batar targana w-amma 
neffukk helalna min ar-ragal.” 

This appeal was answered by all. Shouting with one voice: 
“The rider protecting ‘Alja is a Rwejli, and I am ‘Alja’s 
brother!” they furiously attacked the enemy, poured bullets 
upon them in retaliation for the capture of their animals, 
and, killing many and chasing away the rest, freed their herds 
that very day. When finally the pursuers separated from the 
pursued, infakk at-fdred ‘an al-matrid, the Sa‘lan, return- 
ing with their recaptured herds, began to search for their 
missing comrades. Reaching the actual battle ground, al-ma- 
‘ara, they saw Rarraf, the slave of Sattam, lying among the 
fallen. Rarraf surpassed all the other slaves in generosity and 
bravery and was no less esteemed by the Rwala than if he 


602 RWALA BEDOUINS 


were a chief himself; rarraf w-édn jentf ‘ala éaffat al-abid 
bel-karam w-al-fursa w-hw ‘enda-r-rwala min hsdb as-Sujiih. 
He had been one of the first to come to the assistance of 
the threatened herds. His horse, being hit by a bullet, stumbled 
and in falling pinned its rider under its body. The Fed‘an, 
to whom Rarraf was known, stabbed at him as he lay under 
his horse unable to defend himself, slashed him with their 
sabers, and, as he remained motionless under their blows, 
thought him dead. But the Rwala found life in him yet, beh 
ruh, placed him on a camel, and brought him to his tent. 
Nearly all the fingers on his hands and the toes of his feet 
had been cut off, w-hw mukattadt asdbe* idejh w-asabe 
riglejh, and there was hardly a spot on his whole body where 
he had not been either stabbed or slashed. It took him three 
years to recover, but at last with the help of Allah he could 
ride as before. 

After Turki’s death (1887) his brother, Haéem, became the 
head chief of the Fed‘an. Once he assembled the warriors of the 
Fed‘an, ‘Ebede, Hadedijjin, and MwaAli tribes and decided to 
camp with them in the territory of the Zana Muslim. They 
pitched their tents in the neighborhood of the Weld ‘Ali and 
al-ESage‘a. Eben Smejr and Eben Me‘gel, the chiefs of the 
threatened camps, asked Eben Sa‘lan for help. Summoning 
the Arabs camping with him at that time, the latter sent 
troop after troop to the aid of his relatives, the Zana Muslim; 
w-garrad gurid fazaten likrdjebhom zana muslim. These 
auxiliary troops, riding with the utmost speed to the tents 
of the Weld “Ali, found the enemy encamped near by. The 
troop, consisting of Sattam’s sons with their slaves and men, 
surbat awlad sattdém w-abidhom w-zilmhom, reached the 
camp of the Fed‘an tribe. Entering it, they thought at first 
they were in a camp of a Zana Muslim kin and were not 
a little surprised to see themselves assaulted on all sides 
by men on horseback, al-hejl ardrat ‘alejhom min kill Ganeb. 
Recognizing them as their enemies, the Fed‘an, they considered 
their lives already forfeited, ajesow min al-hajadt, knowing 
well that in the case of themselves and the Fed‘an no fighter 
would fall from his horse without being killed on the spot, 
‘alemin enn-at-tarth ma jetih illa madbih. And, in fact, before 
they had got their weapons ready they were surrounded and 
summoned on all sides to yield. Then they were brought to 
the tent of the head chief, Haéem eben Mhejd, where they ex- 


a 


WAR AND PEACE 603 


pected to be killed one after another. But Haéem, recognizing 
them, fortunately remembered their mother, his own sister 
Ainekiiiess greeted them in a friendly manner, sent for a grown 
camel, na had it killed in their honor. Moreover he threat- 
ened to punish severely any of his men who should dare to 
insult them even by a single word. This generous behavior 
of their mother’s brother did not fail deeply to impress Sat- 
tam’s sons, apart from the joy which they felt at escaping 
with their lives. When this incident was reported to Eben 
Sa‘ lan, he ordered his auxiliary troops to turn back at once 
and threatened all who should do the least harm to any 
member of the Fed‘an. This again so pleased Hacéem eben 
Mhejd that he likewise asked both his men and his allies to 
return to their homes. But before they left he made Sattam’s 
sons and their retinue mount their horses, restored all their 
arms, and escorted them part of the way so that they might 
return safely to their kinsfolk. 


War Between the Rwala and the Western Tribes (1902) 


In 1902 the head chief Sattém eben Sa‘lan was invited 
by the Turkish Government to visit Sultan Abdul-Hamid in 
Constantinople. When he had left home, the western tribes, 
seized by a desire for booty, began, although friends, sdheb, 
to attack Rwala camps. The worst offenders were the Hwétat, 
Sararat, Beni Sahr, and their allied tribes, w-min jetba‘hom. 
For instance, they captured herds belonging to the Rwala at 
al-Hassabijje and al-Ma‘aser, the particular owners being the 
Nsejr and Der‘an kins of the Al Mur* az clan; ahadow tars 
min ar-rwala min al mur‘az min al nsejr w-min al der‘dn. 
Finally the owners of the captured herds went in a body to 
the chief an-Niri eben Sa‘lan to ask his help. An-Nuri then 
had the following letters written to the chief Abu Tajeh of 
the Hwétat and to Al Hawi of the Sararat: 

“Up to this day we and you have been friends. Attacks 
on each other are not allowed, because we are true friends 
and comrades. Benn al-ain henna wijjékom stheb w-ld t&itiz 
al-rara bénna w-henna siddiz w-rafiz. We hope therefore that 
you will return, te’addin, the herds you have taken from 
the Rwala. Should they attack you and take your herds let 
the despoiled parties come to us with a letter and we will 
return their property to them at once; w-enn 16 lann-ar-rwala 


604 RWALA BEDOUINS 


rajerin ‘alejkom w-dhdin lekom heldl w-jegina-l-mandkis 
w-mahom maktib minkom ennana neraddiha bawfa>. Do not 
believe that we would attack you treacherously! narir ‘aleykom 
bebawk. Brave men will not stoop to deceit, w-al-bawk md 
hw stmat agdwid. Greetings!” 

The letters were handed to the plundered Rwala to deliver. 
These poor wretches had to wait on the chiefs Abu Tajeh and 
Eben GAzi and on the prominent men of the Sararat and Shar 
tribes for more than sixty days, imploring that their animals 
might be returned to them, but they got nothing at all and 
came back to their kinsfolk much cast down. Not long after- 
wards these chiefs raided the Rwala again and in an attack 
on the Kwacbe camp near Habra Kraje in al-Hunfa took all 
their she-camels. Dlejman as- -Srejfi, one of the Kwatbe chiefs, 
min ¢bar al-kwdcbe, with an auxiliary troop composed of both 
Kwacbe and Durman warriors, pursued the attackers for some 
distance but was surrounded by them and killed with all his 
twenty-one comrades. When this became known to the Rwala 
camping in the district of al-Hunfa, they tied a piece of black 
tent canvas to the neck of a riding camel, delil kalladtha Sukka, 
and sent her to an-Nfri eben Sa‘lan who was at that time 
encamped in al-Hamad. 

As soon as the messengers arrived an-Niri instantly 
ordered the tents to be loaded on camels and moved with all 


his people toward the territory occupied by the enemy, who 


were pasturing their herds near al-Brétijje in the valley of 
Fegr, northwest of Tejma near the district of al-Halat. An- 
Nuri pitched his camp in the district of al-Hil and sent word 
to the Kwaébe and Durman, who were then dwelling near 
the oasis of Tejma: 

“Stay where you are! We have come to you and will 
secure your rights for you, netakdzgi lekom min kowmkom, 
if it be the will of God.” 

Following this message he approached them with his 
warriors only, at night found a concealed camping ground 
between them and the enemy, and issued this order: 

“Drive your herds, sarrehow tarskom, in the morning to 
your right hand, in the direction of the enemy. They will 
assail them, will then be ambushed by us, and our rights 
will be secured, netakdzi minhom.” 

In obedience to this order the Kwacbe drove their herds 
in the morning towards the place where the enemy was sta- 


eh 


WAR AND PEACE 605 


tioned. On sighting them the outposts of the latter reported 
to their chiefs, who commanded their warriors at once to 
set out against the herds and to capture them. An-Niri, who 
was observing every move of the enemy, fell upon them sud- 
denly from the rear as they passed his hiding place and with 
his men began to slaughter them, w-tewallaihom dabh. Towards 
noon about five hundred of the enemy had been killed. Only 
a small troop, sirdimaten Zalila, saved itself by flight but with 
the Rwala in hot pursuit. The moment the fugitives reached 
their relatives, the tents. were struck and loaded, but the Rwala 
rushed in before they could remove anything and took many 
of their tents, besides driving away a number of their herds. 
At last night covered them all, hdl al-lejl ‘ala gamit‘, and the 
pursuers became separated from the pursued. The Rwala 
returned home with a rich booty and the satisfaction of hav- 
ing avenged their fallen warriors, metatdrin bzilmhom alli- 
ndabahow. 

As a result of this defeat the Hwétat, Sararat, and the 
Rmejh eben Fajez clan, of the Beni Sahr hurried their herds 
as well as their camels carrying their tents to the Beni Sahr 
territory. There they explained what had happened to them 
and begged for assistance. The Beni Sahr, calling upon the 
neighboring tribes to help them, fazza‘ow kill hawdlihom min 
al-‘orban, collected a multitude, the number of which was known 
to God alone, and erected a war camp between Umm al-‘Amad 
and al-Libben, while in the meantime the territory vacated 
by them had been occupied by the Rwala. The Rwala tribal 
symbol, Abu-d-Dhur, was rocking on a camel ahead of their 
first column, the rest following in the customary order. The 
Rwala also erected a war camp, but east of al-Libben. The 
Beni Sahr, who relied not a little on their great numbers, 
shouted so as to be heard by their adversaries that they 
would capture both an-Nari and his Rwala. 

It came to pass, however, that just at that time God 
directed the steps of the head chief Sattam from the Sultan 
in Constantinople to the camp at al-Libben, where the Rwala 
welcomed him with boundless joy. Defiling before him one 
after another, kdmat al-ardzadt ‘endahom, they vowed to 
persevere and to revenge themselves. Both sides thus camped 
for nine days in full view of each other, w-démow ‘ala hal-ma- 
nih metanadwahin beni sahr w-ar-rwala tistat ajjdm menaw- 
wahin al-kill minhom, exchanging shots all that time. On the 


606 RWALA BEDOUINS 


tenth day they finally attacked each other and changed their 
position, and a day ensued for them on which even the hair 
of a boy just weaned might have turned gray, jesib al-atfal. 
The dust whirled up by the horses mingled with the smoke 
of the gunpowder, and a wild storm raged from early morn- 
ing till almost the middle of the afternoon, w-Subek ‘agag 
al-hejl ma* duhdn al-barud w-sdérat ‘arsaten ‘azgimaten min 
as-suble ila zerib al-asr. Gad gave the victory to the Rwala. 
They overcame the multitude whose numbers none knew, 
threw themselves on their tents, and took them with all the 
furniture and supplies in them. In addition they captured 
several herds of camels and pursued the enemy till sunset. 
Then they returned to their tents, rejoicing over the victory. 
After a further stay of a few days near al-Libben they vacated 
the Beni Sahr territory and returned to their own lands. 
After their defeat at al-Libben the Beni Sahr made con- 
tinuous raids against the Rwala, oppressing their clans whose 
pastures were located on the border. Their commander, ‘adéd, 
was usually Trad eben Zeben. Fortune favored him, misla‘ 
w-haziz, and he was numbered among the brave men, w-édn 
jin‘edd min ar-ragdl. And so it happened after a few years 


that he collected his fellow tribesmen and the strangers who - 


used to take part in his raids, and surprised a small Rwala 


camp near a settlement in the vicinity of Edra‘at. The camp 


attacked belonged to the Swalme clan, which was commanded 
by the chief Eben Gandal. Although he had received infor- 
mation of the impending raid, it was impossible for him to 
escape, and to get help was also out of the question, as there 
were no Arabs related to them in the whole wide neighbor- 
hood. Trad eben Zeben approached the Swalme camp before 
sunrise, pitched his war tents, and harried the Swalme till the 
afternoon. Yet whenever he attacked them, even penetrating 
into the camp, they ran out of their tents and beat the at- 
tackers back until they ejected them completely. Tiring at 
length of such attacks, tdbat nafseh, Trad retreated with 
shame, but afterwards, whenever he learned of some smaller 
Rwala camp, he surprised it and drove away all the herds 
found there: Finally God determined to humble him. 

Trad eben Zeben attacked among others the camp of the 
al-Ka‘az‘a clan of the Rwala, situated near the head of the 
seib of Rarajes. There were about sixty tents there. Cap- 
turing all their herds, Trad hastened with them to his kins- 


i a Blk 


WAR AND PEACE 607 


folk. But at that moment Allah brought the Sa‘lan kin, which 
was migrating just then, across his tracks. The Sa‘lan rec- 
ognized the tracks as made by a troop of raiders heading 
east against their fellow tribesmen and at once decided to 
go in their pursuit, atlabuh. Following the tracks they kept 
a sharp lookout on all sides and were finally rewarded by 
sighting at some distance the raiders, who were returning 
with a rich booty. Concealing themselves in a place favor- 
able for ambush, they waited for the raiders to come up with 
them and then attacked with such swiftness that, even be- 
fore Trad and his men were aware of it, the Sa‘lan both on 
horseback and on camels were in their midst, w-elja? ma ja- 
lam trad w-alli ma‘eh illa w-al-hejl w-al-gejé Sabakathom, deal- 
ing them blow after blow. Trad soon saw himself compelled 
to abandon his booty and seek safety in a wild flight to the 
west. His losses amounted to eight hundred men, while the 
Sa‘ lan, besides recovering the stolen herds, also captured many 
she-camels and inflicted such a defeat on Trad as he had 
never met before. 


Songs Composed on This Occasion 


1. Horren faka’ min ras ‘dli-t-twilat 
les-sejdet alli hatt hamseh waréha 
2. ratt al-mahdleb bet-tendd as-semindt 
gmial elja? ma bajjen lwuswiha 
3. 94 tejr ja tejr al-felah w-as-sa‘dddat 
ja-lli sujuiden min ralajel ‘adaha 
4. sad al-hwéti bes-sabab w-as-sardrat 
w-amma-hl ar-ridn hajjeb tanéha 

a. marad abu tajeh cetir al-‘ahadat 
w-alli mazz bel-bowk hddi gezaha’ 

6. 7a harb ma ‘ajjent dowd an-nusejrat 
sittin lejle Zda‘edin ledadha 

7. w-akta der‘dnen ‘alejhen wasimat 
‘ajjat “alejhen lehitak min reddaha 

8. al-bowk mda hw lel-agawid ‘ddat 
‘ammal rajateh hedimen lwaha 

9. low mahhalat leh lejali terij7at 
“eSbet nefuiden jowm jejbes tardha 

10. henna ntagawwad bel-hbal al-2wijjat 
bezuz gajjab al-matar min semaha 


608 


ie 
12: 
13. 
14. 
15. 
16. 
17. 
18. 
19. 
20. 
21. 
22. 
a 
24. 
25. 
26. 
2, 
28. 
29, 
30. 


dl. 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


besud Sejhen ma jidannez lidafsdat 
w-la hw dnu* brarraten elja? lekdha 
ma hw ent jd-l-bajez zelil al-amdandat 
ardatk nijjaten baiden hadéha 7 
w-eben grajjed min hal-mak‘adijjat 
w-mad hdsat as-safha leajnen twéha 
w-amma sahagna tanijje w-awliq7at 
nadmah w-mdr ehteym jekatter ‘ajjaha 
la w-allah kowm ma bha rabdwat 
allah ‘ala sihben tebdrek hadéha 
w-gawkom ahi al-alja meddlih rarat 
mitl as-sahab alli zacigen hawdha 
elja nSerow fowk al-mhar al-rejarat 
tekel Sejahinen athattaf katdha 
al-hejl w-as-sabur jimsen zafat 

jitlen eben hazza° babjaz nekdha 
Sowk at-tamth alli tzahhat bhaflat 
nesmijjeten bajjdm ‘aggat sabéha 
“asat geminak ja sabijj al-hasdrat 
hallat fakkdjedha ‘ala min na‘éha 
awda’ lehom bemharaf a!-hejl bahat 
mitl al-ranam jisderk laggat taraha 
ww helw dowgathom betdrif halat 
nasen tatt w-nds tuhi rndha 
w-twdzenat lalli radow leh bdéndt 
w-estadd bsa° al-‘azizi kazaha 

w-tar as-srejfi sdr min fowk al-amjat 
lataw elja’ md-n-nafs lahazat hawdha 
ja dib ja-lli bel-hala’ tez‘az swét 
allah ‘ata md trid nafsak manéha 
bjowmen beh al-arga’ tedik at-tradwdat 
w-la testahi al-kasra fazdjel ‘asdha 
ja Sén sawwet les-sbd al-megi at 

ma zal tabci kill ‘ajnen Sekaha 

bale: tswi lak ‘azdjem w-kdlat 

tgib min hadi w-al-uhra wardha 
markazg abu nawwaf zebn al-wenijjat 
makar haradr w-‘awwazat min Zendha 
jisda-n-neddwi bel-gendhén ja fat 
hamm al-habari w-as-swijje ramaha 
as-Sejh tasseh bel-kfuf at-tezilat 

elja? ma thajja-s-Sowf ‘ajneh ‘amaha 


o2. 
30. 
34, 
DD. 
36. 
oO, 
38. 
o9, 
AO. 
41. 
42. 
43. 
44, 
45. 
46. 
AT, 
48. 
49. 


50, 


WAR AND PEACE 609 


w-ja min jiwaddi lel-hrese habdrdt 
w-illa-l-hafijje bajjenat min zahéha 

qa “ali ma gannak ‘eltim as-Seméalat 
nasen terir brejr raddat nekdéha 
suhbak sahth w-suhob rab‘ak habdrat 
w-an an-neka’? tekmah swd‘ed alhéha 
rmejh jesawwi leh ma‘ ad-dib ‘adwéat 
jabri-s-sala’ w-hw jinagges watdha 
w-al-fajne bivat mani* al-hkejsat 

‘okob talat ajjam ja min sedaha 
bel-hass abu gabha éebir al-mtejrdat 
raglen labes min Sukkaten leh Sardha 
en. selt (sic) ‘an wagheh Zelil al-mruwwéat 
aska° min az-zerka? ‘ala berd méha 
alin abu hak al-wugth al-mutindt 
mitl al-hartim alli thajjen hazdha 
bel-awn labsaw min tijadb al-habibat 
killen Sara? leh bérama w-eétisdha 
w-abuk ja jowmen gara lel-hwétat 
al-cabd bes-sdbiin rasel sadéha 

jabri swahié al“azam al-marizdt 

low hw ‘alilen jintasehh (sic!) min baléha 
w-en sowlefaw min jamm zowden w-naksat. 
kur al-gerdnijjat nassed safadha 
aba-t-teraja jammakom kill ma fat 
w-al-jowm missu belha min hartiha 
‘agjgent raban Sarhabaw lel-hukiméat 
mitl at-tjus alli tkarrat haséha 

w-min baad da 7a rdéebin hafifat 
al-kill minhen ma lahagha zanéiha 
kizzu labu mansur minna salamat 
betalhijjeten jetreb laha min hagaha 
cejf ent 7a Sejhen lena ‘okob rejbat 
ent ad-dera elja’ sar salfen hawtha 
jakel bhubzak waheden jamm howmdat 
hak an-nefud alli cetiren raziha 

ent al-gelaba w-al-geldjeb za%ifat 

jais rasak w-abu tdjeh feddha. 


1. A noble falcon flew down from the very summit of 


high mountains 


After his prey at which he pointed his five claws; 


610 


15. 


16. 


Lie 


18. 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


. He dug his claws into fat shoulders 


And pecked away till the entrails appeared. 


. O thou wild bird! O falcon, good luck and success to thee! 


O thou who huntest the heroes of thine enemies! 


. He seized the Hwéti with good reason and the Sararat, too, 


And destroyed the desire for glory of those who live 


. Abu Tajeh had torn up many treaties [in defiles. 


And for his treachery received this reward. 


. O Harb! hast thou not seen the herds plundered from 


the Nsejr? 
Why, for sixty nights they sat demanding compensation. 


. And the Der‘an herds, marked with their tribal brand, 


Thou, bearded one, didst refuse to return. 


. Treason is not a custom among heroes, 


He who makes treason his emblem has his flag torn down; 


. Even if he were granted moist nights, 
He would perish like the Neftid grass when its moisture 
. We are girt with stout ropes [dries up. 


By the power of Him who brings rain from the heavens, 


. Led by a lucky commander who stoops not to baseness 


Nor craves a thing by others lost which he has found. 


. But such thou art not, O faithless traitor! 


Who didst conceive a plan hard to execute. 


. Eben Grajjed, too, was at those meetings 


He and all as-Safha men, accursed be their dead! 


. For neither the second nor the first default did we 
regard, 

Nor did we stir, but the Htejm continued their rascal 
| deeds. 


By Allah! at last war began without further concealment; 
May Allah bless the gray riders under whose hoofs 
lightning flashes! 
The owners of “Alja came upon you, attacking swiftly 
as lightning, 
Came as a dark cloud, the gale of which snatches up 
everything. 
When they form a line attacking on young mares 
Thou wilt say they are fierce falcons swooping on kata’ 
birds. 
Riders on horses and camels fast are advancing, 
Following to a fight Eben Hazza* whose honor is white, 


1B 


20. 


yA Fe 


WAR AND PEACE 611 


The darling of every woman desiring another husband, 
whose beauty excels in the games, 

And a heroine on the day when her goods are threat- 
ened by raiders. 

Long may thy generous right hand live, O youth, 

And may it leave thy slain foes to those who will lament 
them! 

On the playground of horses he prepared for them beds 


_ From which sounds as of sheep bleating come to thee. 


22. 
23. 


24. 
e205 
26. 


27. 
28. 


29. 


30. 


31. 


52. 


3d. 


Ah, how sweet was their confusion as they ran on the 
; borders of the volcanic grounds! 
Some mourned, some sang ditties. 
What these borrowers had plundered was brought back, 
And the debt — according to the verdict — repaid 
_ with a full measure. 
By more than a hundred slain aS8-Srejfi was avenged; 
Their throats they cut until all were tired. 
O wolf! O thou who howlest with thy mates in the 
Allah gave thee thy soul’s desire [desert! 
On the day when a lame hyena might taste fresh meat, 
And the shameless one cared not for the rest of its 
O ugly one! call the hungry wild beasts, [ supper. 
As long as the eyes of the wounded weep for their 
torments. 
Perhaps thou wilt send out invitations for feasts and 
good news 
And thou with thy sister wilt offer them a choice. 
At the head NawwéAaf’s father rode, protector of the 
weary, 
Leader of a nest of noble falcons, of whom every one 
he raised is perfect. 
He is like a falcon hunting in the time of the dew 
with open wings, 
Catching the habdri and throwing their entrails away. 
He struck the [enemy] chief with a heavy fist 
Till his sight vanished and his eye became blind. 
Oh, who is to tell the HreSe tribe what is said of them? 
For what was secret is as clear now as when the dew 
has dried. 
O ‘Ali! hast thou not received tidings from the north 
Of a people attacking without declaring war? 


612 


354. 


Dd. 


56. 


37. 


38. 


39, 


AO. 


Al. 


A2. 


43. 


44, 


45. 


A6. 


AZ. 


48, 


49, 


50. 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


Thy friendship is certain, but that of thy friends is 
to be scorned — 
And, as they did not return the honor, they will not 
meet with success. 
Rmejh like a wolf commits tricks befitting a foe. 
It is said he is fond of praying, and yet he defiles the 
ground whereon he prays. 
A shameful sin it is, truly, that the Hkejsat should 
sell the pardoned foe 
After three days. Oh, who has done this? 
As to Abu Gabha, lord of the Mtejrat, 
He is a man dressed in black tent cloth, bought by himself. 
If thou askest about his face, it has few noble qualities, . 
It is colder than az-Zerka’ in the coolness of its water. 
Cursed be the father of those unfeeling faces, 
For they are like a pregnant girl whose shame is visible. 
They deserve to wear their sweethearts’ gowns; 
Each to buy his own cloth and to sew a gown from it. 
By thy father, the fate which the Hwétat met on that day 
Washed away all filth from their stomachs with soap. 
That day cured the pains of the sick bones, [ disease. 
And, no matter how ailing, every one was cured of his 
When they gossip of the battle, one will claim some 
deed and another will deny it, 
But we will ask witness of the rocky surroundings of 
Kur al-Geranijjat. 
We took vengeance on you for all that had happened; 
Today you can besmear your beards with dung. 
I sighted a company puffed up as if they would dictate, 
And today they are like he-goats that have been gelded. 
And finally, as to this poem, ye who ride on fleet-footed 
To none of which a calf has yet clung, [she-camels . 
Hand it to Abu Manstr with our greetings 
On a sheet of paper, to gladden him who will read it. 
How farest thou, our chief, after thy long absence? 
Thou art our shield against a strong cold wind. 
With thy bread a man supports life near Howmat 
In that Neftd where so much raza’ grows. 
Thou art the only source of gain, and poor are all the 
other trades. 
May Allah let thy head live and take that of Abu Tajeh 
instead! 


WAR AND PEACE 613 


During the absence of Prince Sattam in Constantinople 
the affairs of the tribe were administered by the present 
prince, an-Niri eben Hazza‘ eben Sa‘lan. It was at that time 
that the Beni Sahr, Hwétat, Beni “Atijje, Sararat, and Beli 
allied themselves against the Rwala and began to raid the 
camps of the various clans without a formal declaration of 
war. The sujuih, which means an-Ni&ri with the other members 
of the reigning kin, were camping in the interior of al- Hamad. 
There they received almost daily messages from their de- 
spoiled, mankisin, fellow tribesmen, who asked an-Nari to have 
the stolen camels returned to them. An-Nutri, it is true, sent 
to all the chiefs of the allied tribes letter after letter, remind- 
ing them of the treaties and friendship existing between them, 
but all his efforts were in vain. The allies continued their 
raids and even killed in one of them Dlejman aé- Srejfi, com- 
mander of the Kwa¢be, with more than twenty of his com- 
rades. Thus an-Ntri was forced to assemble all the tribes 
and clans subject to him for a defensive raid. In two months 
he attacked and looted, in revenge, several camps of the allies 
with a thoroughness intended to overawe the insolent enemy. 
The poet, MeS‘an an-Nsejri of the Al Mur az clan, describes 
this campaign in our poem, which he sent to Prince Sattam. 
To me it was recited by Hmar abu ‘Awwad and by ‘Awde 
al-Kweéébi. 

Verse 1. Faka‘ is a sudden quick movement of either a 
bird or a camel. Horr is a noble falcon, the easiest to train 
for hunting. Hatt hamseh wardha: before the falcon over- 
takes his spoil he prepares or directs his five (claws) at it. 
2. Tenad are the fleshy parts of the breast, also shoulders. 
Wuswa’: entrails, intestines. 8. Raldjel are the prominent 
fighters. A noble falcon will select for his game only the 
greatest heroes. 4. Ahl ar-ri‘dn are the clans of the Beli whose 
territory is cut up by deep ravines and defiles, ri. 5. Muham- 
mad abu Tajeh, the brother of the Hwetat chief, “Awde, made 
many treaties with the Rwala and their followers and yet 
broke them, tore them up, without declaring war. 6. Harb 
who had a son, Muhammad, was chief of the Beni ‘Atijje. He 
captured herds belonging to the Nsejr and Der‘an, members 
of the Rwala tribe, who negotiated with him for sixty days 
for their return but without success. 9. A traitor will never 
escape punishment, even if granted a respite of a few happy 
nights. 11. Jedna‘ is used of a dog carrying away something 


614 RWALA BEDOUINS 


from a tent other than his master’s; also of a man who helps 
himself from a full platter set before others, without being 
invited. Rarra is a thing of value which some man finds and 
keeps. 13. Eben Grajjed is a chief of the Beni “Atijje. Safha 
is the general name of the territory where the Hwétat, Beni 
‘Atijje, and Sararat like to camp, because it slopes both east 
and west. Twa’: the dead, buried. 14. Htejm is the term for 
the despised clans and tribes, thus also the Sararat, of whom 
the poet is thinking. 15. Sikb means attacking riders. Before 
the attack they divest themselves of their mantles and caftans, 
if they have any, entrust them to their returning comrades, 
radd, and are clothed only in their dirty gray, Sihb, shirts. 
16. Al-‘Alja, the name given by the Rwala to their white 
camel herds. Medalih or mardakiz, swift, flashing, terms applied 
to the Rwala owing to their mode of delivering attacks in 
quick succession with the suddenness of lightning. Whenever 
the sky is enveloped in black clouds, a wind storm rises in 
the desert, carrying and driving dust, fine sand, and dry 
plants before it and overturning all tents the pegs and ropes 
of which are not tight. 18. Eben Hazza° — i. e. an-Niuri, the 
commander of the Rwala — did not commit treason when 
he attacked the enemy. His face is without blemish, that is 
white. Neka’ signifies integrity, honesty, which both parties 
to a peace treaty have to maintain. The party declaring war, 
returns the integrity, neka’, to the other party. He who attacks 
another without a declaration of war fails to return the neka’ to 
the attacked party, commits treason, and blackens his honesty, 
his face. 19. Nisdma are gay youths, young heroes; ne&mijje: 
a gay beauty, a heroine. ‘Aggat is used alike for a violent 
passion, for rising dust, and for an approaching throng of 
raiders. Hmar maintained that sabdéha meant “her youth,” 
but “Awde pronounced it “sabdha.” According to Hmar the 
poet speaks of a gay beauty in whose veins was beating | 
the blood of youth demanding its rights from another man, 
while ‘Awde maintained that the poet expresses his admira- 
tion for a beauty who seeks to save, either by hiding or by 
flight, the camels burdened with household goods, against 
which a raiding troop, sabdha, was advancing, ‘aggat. 22. 
Halat is an area covered with basalt and lava, where neither 
horse nor rider can move except by a few narrow paths. 
The Rwala drove the defeated enemy as far as the borders 
of such an area. The defeated mourned, the victors sang. 


WAR AND PEACE 615 


23. The dry measure called sd‘ ‘azizi is larger than the common 
sa‘ (nine liters). 27. “Jd Sén, O rascal!” an expression used in 
jest even with a person dear to one. By sbd‘ are here meant 
all such beasts of prey in the desert as suffer most from 
hunger. 29. Wenijjdt are mares, either exhausted or wounded 
and therefore in the greatest danger from the enemy. Abu 
Nawwaf is an-Nari. Whoever puts himself under his command 
finds himself in a falcon’s nest, as it were. 30. Neddwi is 
the name of the largest species of hunting falcon, which 
discovers its prey even if it is concealed in the still dewy 
grass, while the other falcons begin to hunt only when the 
dew has evaporated and the game leaves its hiding places for 
the pasture. A neddwi falcon feeds only on fat flesh, throw- 
ing away or rejecting the entrails. 31. Tasseh: it pecked at, 
struck, not with its beak like a true falcon, but with a heavy 
fist. Thajja-s-Sowf: his sight left him. 32. Hrese is the name 
of a clan from the Ahl ‘Isa. 33. Eben ‘Ali: the chief of the 
Hrese. AS-Semalat, or Ahl aS-SemAl, signifies the Beni Sahr. 
34. Habardt are jests or humorous stories which nobody takes 
seriously. 35. Rmejh abu Gnejb eben Fajez: the chief of the 
at-Tuka division of the Beni Sahr tribe. 36. Fdjne means both 
infamy and sin. The Hkejsat, a clan of the Beni Sahr, sold 
a mani‘, pardoned one — i.e. an enemy captured in war who 
had asked for and received pardon — who had been their 
guest for three days. He had killed in a fair fight two brothers, 
members of the Beni Sahr, and the Hkejsat sold him to the 
nearest relative of the dead men, Fanhtr abu Gabha, who 
avenged the brothers by cutting off his head. 37. Bel-hass 
or bel-hsuis: in regard to, concerning. If a man commits a 
dishonest act, a piece of black tent cloth is tied to a pole 
and the fact is proclaimed in these words: “This is the flag 
of So and So. May Allah blacken his face!” Abu CGabha de- 
Serves worse than a black flag; he should wear a whole suit 
of such black material. Sukka is a strip of goat’s hair fabric 
of which the tents are sewn. 38. Saka‘: cold, cool, unfeeling, 
thus a man indifferent to praise or blame. 39. Mutin means 
hardened, indifferent. Hariim is an unmarried pregnant girl, 
threatened by death if she has not been raped. 40. Bérama 
is a piece of blue fabric of which women’s gowns are made. 
41. The words w-abik, by thy father, are used by the poet 
in addressing himself to his hearers. 44. “A ba-t-teraja, far . 
be the revenge!” cries the avenger when he has fulfilled his 


616 RWALA BEDOUINS 

duty. Missu belha min hardha: besmear, befoul the beard with 
excrement in their sorrow for the loss of so many warriors. 
The mourning survivors throw dust and ashes into their hair 
and beard. 45. Sarhabaw: they were puffing themselves up, 
posing. They wanted to dominate the Rwala, although they 
sent them presents every year as a proof of their dependence. 
47. Abu Manstr is Prince Sattam, whose first-born, Mansur, 
fell in an earlier victorious fight. 48. Dera? is a tent wall 
hung up during a cold wind, salf. 49. Howmat is the name 
of sand hills in the Nefitd. 


1, Al-elem gana fowk maslib al-kow* 
‘elmen jisazei leg-zamadjer nekawi 
2. ehwat refia kill abtihom ‘ala tow‘ 
w-ala-l-azid jvdkebin al-ahawi 
3. bsilfen jikess al-geneb wijjet az-zlows 
w-jiheff talat ek‘ib bhadd ar-resawi 
4. alli bahit bel-‘asa’ dib majkow‘ 
‘azam “‘ala-l-fazla tamdnin wawi 
5. al genk kowtar fowk tawilet al-bow‘ 
wa-slas Ganneh min cCemineh haldwi 
. 6. rakag ‘alejh rif al-haladwi ‘an al-gow‘ 
w-halla’? gwadeh tedhekeh bel-hadawi 
7. hw w-al-faras behwah taéhaw ‘ala kows 
w-tah al-‘asa’ lel-abd w-al-fedawi 
8. wa’ cam waheden bedwabet ar-rumh maslows 
‘araset rdseh zaba‘aten bel-gerdwi 
9. Slas wataneh wa-rmejh mamnows 
min harr zarben mu‘attebin al-ahadwi 
10. halaf allt ‘ala-l-kowm kdtow‘ 
nzud elja’? ¢catrat ‘alejh hal-balawi 
11. rmejh halla slas w-ar-rads maktow‘ 


VVA 


‘alejh rwejlaten jizizzin al-randwt. 


1. Tidings reached us by camels with muscular shoulders, 
War tidings piercing our entrails. _ 

2. ‘Sisters of Ref‘a!’ [they shouted], and all obeyed at once, 
To take vengeance on the leader for their wounded 

5. With the spear blade that cuts through flanks and ribs 
And carries three parts of the shaft after it. 

4. The wolf from Majkta* gladdened with a supper 
Has invited eighty jackals to its remains. 


ee r% aa 


WAR AND PEACE 617 


5. The Al Genk fled on mares of paces a fathom long, 
And $a alone of the whole reserve remained. 
6. He who protects a lone wolf from hunger rode at him 
in a gallop 
And with her hoofs made his steed stamp on him. 
7. For the clash made both S148 and his mare fall to earth; 
Thus a rich supper fell to the negro and servant. 
8. Ah, how many men were thrown from the saddle by 
the fringe-adorned spear blade, 
Whose heads then the hyena left lying near al-Ger4wi! 
9. While Slas was trampled by mares, Rmejh yielded 
himself 
Because of the burning wounds [he received] from 
those who dealt death all around. 
10. Halaf, he who splits the enemy’s troops, 
Fights all the more boldly the more numerous his 
opponents. 
11. When Slag by Rmejh was deserted, his head was cut off, 
And a few Rwala sang over. him with loud voice. 


The poet was Fahad eben Sbejh of the Rwala; the re- 
citer, Mindil al-Kat. Of the Beni Sahr tribe 280 warriors 
commanded by Slas eben Fajez assailed the herds of the Zejd 
kin near the watering place of Majku* and, capturing them, 
fled in the direction of the al-Gerawi wells. When a herds- 
man brought the news of the robbery to the Zejd camp, its 
male occupants instantly mounted their horses and, uttering 
the war cry of their kin, “Hhwdt ref‘a, Ref<a’s sisters!” set 
off in pursuit, although greatly inferior in numbers to the 
Beni Sahr. Overtaking the latter at al-GerAwi, they recovered 
the booty, killed thirty riders, and also captured seventy mares 
and over one hundred camels. 

Verse 1. “Elmen nekdwi, it was a war report, thus an 
honorable one, because the Rwala and the Beni Sahr had de- 
clared war on each other not long before. 2. Al- ahdwi means 
the wounded or killed; also blows that cause death. 3. Ku‘ib 
are the different joints of a bamboo spear shaft. Resdwi is the 
iron ring which grips the wood where the blade is inserted. 
To this ring a small wreath of either horsehair or ostrich 
feathers is tied. The spear was thrown with such force that 
the blade in piercing the side and ribs was followed by three 
joints of the bamboo shaft. 5. The Al Genk is a clan of the 


618 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Druses; they were allied with the Beni Sahr. S148 eben Fajez, 
the war leader of the Beni Sahr, with the Genk had to pro- 
tect the removal of the booty; but the Genk soon deserted 
him, their example being followed by his own people. 6. Rif 
al-halawi ‘an al-gows means here Halaf al Iden, the commander 
of the Zejd. Haldwi is used in poetry for an old quarrelsome 
wolf which roams alone. Rif is a territory with a good 
pasturage and abundant crops. As-sera@ rif has-sene: in as- 
Sera’ there is good pasture this year. In poetry rif signifies 
a battle ground where a lone wolf finds plenty of food. 7. The 
loss of their commander disheartened even the last defenders 
of the herds and tents, so that both the slaves and the free 
servants, neither of whom are famous for their bravery, could 
throw themselves upon them without any fear for their lives 
and make their supper from the supplies abandoned by the 
Beni Sahr. 9. Rmejh eben Fajez was a relative of SIAas. 


War Between the Rwala and the Muntifez (1905) 


One Sa‘dtn al-ASkar, a member of the reigning kin of 
the Muntifez tribe, was known both for his violent temper 
and stubbornness, w-cdn megabber sdheb sitwaten. As he was 
the owner of a large settled territory in Irak, he was obeyed 
by a great number of warriors and had a flag of his own 
which he took with him on his raids, hoisting it over the 
camping grounds of the Arabs whom he had vanquished and 
robbed. To show that he was not afraid of revenge, he loved 
to remain sitting by the flag in such camps for two or three 
hours after getting possession of them. 

Once he attacked, near Rigm ‘Alejje, the camp of the 
Durman and Nsejr, containing about ninety tents. After tak- 
ing them he returned, victorious and without loss, to his kins- 
folk. Next year Prince an-Nitri offered him his friendship, 
which was accepted. This gave the Arabs a feeling of security, 
w-adat al-arab je-minin. The chief Sa‘din al-ASkar, however, 
understood little of good faith but much of treachery, Zeiil 
al-emdne Cetir al-hejdne, and paid no regard to the treaty 
or the friendship, w-la jekzobeh al-ahd w-as-suhb. His son 
Tamer one day attacked the Sa‘lan, who considered themselves 
friends of the Muntifez, mettahedin sdheb, near the head of 
the Fejhan valley, about sunrise. Before the Sa‘lan had shaken 
off their sleep the Muntifez were looting the tents on the edge 


WAR AND PEACE 619 


of the camp and beginning to drive the camels away. But the 
prince, sujvih, with his sons, the slaves of his household, and 
other men recovered the herds, pursued the attackers, and 
defeated them so crushingly that Tamer barely saved himself 
with about a hundred riders on. horses and camels, w-ld jes- 
lam illa’ tamer hw w-ma‘eh jegi maje zelema ma bén haj7al 
w-rai delil. This brave defense naturally pleased the Rwala 
greatly, filling them also with a sense of security, especially 
as some of the Zana Muslim tribes soon moved into that re- 
gion and encamped close by. 

But then they learned from some merchants that the 
chief Eben Meglad had incited Sa‘din against them. In order 
to subdue Eben Meglad, an-Niri eben Sa‘lan assembled his 
Rwala and made a raid on him and his tribe, the DahaméSe, 
who at that time were encamped between Te‘es al-Ma‘ejzile 
and the Se%b of al-HSejbi. But in the meantime something had 
happened of which the Rwala had not even dreamed. When 
Tamer came back with his handful of men and told of his 
defeat, Sa‘din al-ASkar became furious and forthwith began 
to prepare a war expedition against the Rwala on a large 
scale, summoning all the tribes which used to help him in his 
wars, w-arsal ‘ala’ min jelumm ‘alejh, as well as the Zefir 
tribe and marching out to punish the Rwala. On the way he 
also sent couriers to Eben Meglad with the message: 

“IT am going to raid the Rwala. Get ready to join us, for 
Tamer’s fallen fighters must be avenged. Should any man of 
the Zana Muslim be amongst you, seize and fetter him to 
prevent him from warning Eben Sa‘lan; w-elja? ma édn“en- 
dakom had min-twéref zana muslim okzobuh w-orbotuih en 
la tsitr habr an-nadr ‘end eben Sa‘lan.” 

By the will of God there happened to be a certain Rwejli 
in Eben Meglad’s reach. He was at once put in irons. The 
following day an-Niri surprised Eben MeglAd’s camp, captur- 
ing thirty-five tents and several herds of camels. In the confu- 
sion following the attack the imprisoned Rwejli succeeded in 
making his escape, still wearing his fetters, of which he was 
immediately freed by his fellow tribesmen who were plunder- 
ing the camp. He wished to speak to Prince an-Niri. When 
brought before him, he said: 

“O an-Nuri, give up all desire for booty, return from this 
raid, and prepare with both thy kin and thy whole tribe for 
defense, so that al-ASkar may not laugh at our expense; for, 


620 RWALA BEDOUINS 


behold, I listened to what Eben Meglad was told by messen- 
gers and was therefore put in irons. But today, during your 
attack, my guards had regard only for themselves, ballasow 
bhdlhom, and I escaped.” 

An-Niri’s fighters were very busy just then, balsdnin. 
Some were still attacking, jehdwes, the defenders, others were 
securing their booty, jecseb. However, an-Nuri’s mighty voice 
called them together and made them return to their kinsfolk 
without delay. Thus a still greater defeat was averted from 
Eben Meglad by the will of Allah, for, if the prisoner had - 
not informed an-Nuri of what threatened him, all the tents 
in the camp would have been taken and many more of his 
men killed. 

But no sooner had an-Nuri withdrawn than a messenger 
came galloping to Eben Meglad with the order: 

“By Allah, mount, Eben Meglad, thou and thy warriors, 
your horses and camels, for Sa‘dGn with his flag is approach- 
ing the Rwala!” 

In obedience to the order, Eben Meglad and his troop 
instantly followed the messenger. When he told Sa‘din about 
the attack which the Rwala had just delivered, Sa‘dtin replied: 

“Be comforted with what I shall now tell thee. Ye will 
get back the long-maned mares which the Rwala have taken 
from you, ‘ardjef, and yet more booty which we shall take 
from them. Only pray that they will not flee when they sight 
us. I have sworn an oath on my neck that I must catch an- 
Nuri even if I should have to pursue him as far as the Haw- 
ran. My spear with my flag I shall stick into the ash heap 
of his fireplace where he makes his coffee, .for the accursed 
an-Nuri thinks too much of himself and brags about the 
numbers of his warriors; w-arkoz al-bajraz ‘ala ntila deldleh 
bann al-mal'im mesta‘ezz wa-mtahazwi bcitr egmi‘eh.” 

Sa‘duin led more than three thousand warriors, the major- 
ity of them mounted on camels. His son Tamer accompanied 
him but did not dare to come near his father, who could not 
forget his son’s recent defeat. The warriors in an attempt to 
appease Sa‘din sang the following ditty, hegéni: 


Ma‘na recaben hifdje 
mangube min hijar al-hegen 
fowkhen ‘ejdlen tindbe 

‘an bejt an-nuri jenseden 


WAR AND PEACE 621 


jetlen sacdiin abu tamer 

ja Sowk mulawlehat ar-reden 
tegina srajbet Ssa‘dlen 

bibwaz al-mawzer jezeden. 


With us are camels desired by. all, 

Chosen from among the best riding camels. 

On them youths full of pride are sitting, 

Who for an-Ntri’s tent keep asking. 

They follow Sa‘dan, the father of Tamer, 

The darling of her whose shirt-sleeves flutter. 

Of Sa‘lan’s fighters a small troop will come to us, 

And on hearing the Mausers’ thunder our camels will stop. 


Sa‘dun and his retinue took hunting falcons along with 
them, and as soon as they sighted a hare or a habara bird 
(bustard) they urged the falcon, jeheddiin, to pursue it and 
to bring back the game. Once Sa‘diin sent his falcon, tajreh, 
to get a hare. The falcon pecked the hare with its beak, and 
when the latter tried to hide, tehawmer ‘anneh, Sa‘din said: 

“Took, comrades, at that hare! It has crawled into the 
bush, as did Tamer, my son, before the falcon which is an- 
Nari.” 

Deeply ashamed, hagel, on hearing such words, gawdb, 
Tamer said: “O God, bring us to.the people we are seeking 
and let us not pass by them or allow them to hide from us! 
May my father then see them with his own eyes —either to 
overcome or to send me against them with an army still 
larger than this!” 

When an-Niri eben Sa‘lan returned to his people he saw 
that the Rwala had built small camps scattered all over the 
country. He ordered them to gather together at once. Some 
days previous the Rwala had been joined by Eben Smejr and 
Eben Me‘gel with their Arabs. An-Niri and his allies moved 
to the valleys of as-Swejf and al-Helali, where owing to good 
rains there was abundance, beha rabi*, that year. Of the im- 
pending attack Eben Sa‘lan did not say a word in order not 
to alarm them unnecessarily. The next night an-Nari and his 
kin slept on the new camping ground, and with the appear- 
ance of the morning star they saw and heard group after 
group of Arabs fleeing with both tents and herds. On inquir- 
ing for the cause of their panic they were told that an un- 
known enemy was attacking the tents on the southern border 


622 RWALA BEDOUINS 


of the scattered camps, and as the neighboring Arabs were 
yet sleepy and ignorant of what was happening they sought 
safety, not in resistance but in flight. The rifles thundered, 
and shots were heard on all sides. The confusion grew. At 
that moment, before the sun had‘yet risen, Eben Sa‘lan, Eben 
Smejr, and Eben Me‘gel with their slaves and warriors sprang 
to horse, dashing to the place where the sound of rifles and 
fighting could be heard..On coming near they saw a flag sur- 
rounded by a vast throng of men. It seemed as if the Rwala 
were about to perish, haribat Zer‘athom. The enemy were 
pressing them back by degrees, had taken one camp after 
another, and had pulled down the tents. The women defended 
their property as best they could; many had been killed, but 
none would run away, and all heaped abuse on their retreat- 
ing husbands and brothers. When the latter finally saw that 
even their women were resisting bravely, they declared: “We 
should rather pe killed today than let our women be wronged 
by the enemy,” and then a fight ensued compared to which 
all that happened before was mere play. 

It was past noon and the fighting still continued. The 
victory had as yet inclined to neither side, for each opposed 
the other with obstinate fury. After noon all the Zana Muslim 
drew together, and at about mid-afternoon in a united body 
they attacked the enemy. Then it was that Allah granted 
victory to the Rwala. Sa‘dtn made frantic efforts to stop his 
fleeing warriors, but in vain. The Zana Muslim broke through 
the enemy’s line, and whoever could not flee was killed. Finally 
the enraged Sa‘dun, who was beating the fleeing men with 
his camel stick to make them face about, had to flee himself. 
Besides he himself, his son Tamer, and Eben Meéglad only 
about thirty camel riders and twenty on horseback escaped, 
tlatin delil w-‘asrin haj7dl. All the rest were slain, not one 
being made captive. The Zana Muslim captured all the riding 
camels, arms, white military tents, and everything of which the 
enemy had robbed them during his whole expedition. Sa‘dan 
returned, bowed down with humiliation, would listen to no one, 
would not speak, and behaved like one intoxicated. He had 
to recognize his defeat as a just punishment, for, having 
been a friend, he had turned traitor and was suffering the 
consequences. 


ee ee ena os 


WAR AND PEACE 623 


Songs Composed on This Occasion 


. Gatna gm al-muntifez hina-l-addan 


bebjarzen min kil! bidden taldha 


. gawna sabah wa-réebow awldd sa‘lan 


hammajet al-merkab ‘an alli bardha 


. as-subh hess al-médteli éar-ra‘ad ban 


w-rsdsaha jesda-l-barad min seméha 


. kownen gara mad-zonn jegra bel-akwén 


w-as-Sejh naf alli hazar miltekéha 


. jekser gwddeh let-tefafiz nisin 


bjowmen behi (sic) -s-Serddn hallat nisdha 


. ed'an beomr, kawwédd al-azg‘dn 


ja sitr bigen md jekassef ehbadha 


. hall behom an-niiri éema-l-lejt zarman 


awwal ranam dib az-zawdri raséha 


. cam sibezen rahat hafat md leha tman 


w-cam sabijjen rah bemiltekdha 


. dib al-hsejbi jagezz beh dib fejhan 


w-az-zabat al“arga isazzem zaniha 


. Jd Sejgh ja meédi ‘aduwweh bel-akwin 


aftar bkownénen w-bel-askar tandha 


. WH nawwaf tlel-hejl al-emtellat mizbdn 


zebn al-halib elja tgaddat htdha . 


. Jacseb w-jahdi sowk majjah al-arddn 


Sowk al-heniif alli-d-defij hasdha 


. bint as-sujuh w-diérahom bed-dijar ban 


wa-shunahom ma zall jabtel nediha 


. Sejhen walad Sejhen w-midbas forsdn 
éam “azbeten hdlat gmi‘ak wardha 
. w-gval as-sacad bwugthakom kill mihan 


bgah al-muluk w-gah bani semdha 


. ja Sejh jatlak as-salaf hw w-al-az‘dn 


w-subjan jeszun al-‘eda min tandha 


. 7a Sejh ja meti twaladt al-arsdn 


w-tati-l-kohim alli twdlen hatéha 


. Wa seqjur ma teraz ‘ala kell diwdn 


ww sejjur ma nunsad ‘anneh was gezdha 


. w-akul gatni min jemin eben Sa‘ldn 


hamrev’ min ‘ajrat nabi karaha 


. menuwwat rarib ad-ddr elja’ sdr Safkan 


tafziz rabda w-tdia‘at min ramaha 


624 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


21. low nimet nowm al-‘ajn jad Se7h ma zan 
ja Sejh tabci kell ‘ajnen Ssekdaha. 


. A throng of the Muntifez came to us in the time of 
calling to prayers, | 


With flags which the members of each tribe followed. 


. In the morning they came, and Sa‘lan’s youths mounted 


their horses 
To protect the Markab from all who might desire it. 


. The rattling of Martinis rang out like thunder in the 


morning, 
And their bullets were like hail falling from heaven. 


. A fight followed which, methinks, had never its like. 


The chief did surpass all who came to the defense; 


. He held his: steed up short as if a target for the 


shooters 
On the day when the wives were deserted by the fu- 
gitives in cowardly wise. 


. Pray, O women, for long life to the protector of mi- 


grating clans. 
Oh, that shield of the fair ones, who will ‘not allow 
what they have concealed to be uncovered. 


. Like a raging lion. an-Ndri dashed at the enemy, 


As a wolf for blood thirsting he attacked the leading sheep. 


. Oh, how many unrivaled mares could go no farther and 


lost all value, 
And how many youths died in that encounter! 


. The wolf of al-HSejbi howls with the wolf of Fejhan, 


And the lame hyena feeds its offspring with blood. 


. Ochief, thou who overthrowest thine opponent in battles! 


Two fights thou hadst for breakfast, and a third thou 
hadst with al-ASkar. 


. Ah, Nawwaf, the protector of riders who are left behind, 


Protector of long-tailed mares whose pace grew slow; 


. He brings booty and gives presents to the darling with 


fluttering sleeves, 
The smiling sweetheart whose heart he warms; 


. She is a daughter of chiefs whose name is known widely 


And whose large platters will never lack the dewdrops. 


. [An-Nari is] a chief, a chief’s son, and a destroyer of 


riders, 
Oh, how many widows thy troop has left behind! 


a ee 2 


WAR AND PEACE 625 


15. Before your faces good fortune will bring success to all, 
With help of the angels and of Him who built his heaven. 
16. O chief, both warriors and clans migrating follow thee, 
And the youths give the enemy that drink for which 
he had much craved. 
17. O chief, thou giver of she-camels with long reins, 
Thou givest also long-paced fearless mares. 
18. Ah, [this poem] should be sung at all gatherings! 
Ah, they will have to ask us how it was rewarded. 
19. Then I shall say: “From Eben Sa‘lan came to me 
A sorrel she-camel with bulging back and enduring of gait.” 
20. He who dwells far from his camp, seeks, when seized 
by longing, 
[To hasten home as fast] as an ostrich which has sighted 
him who fired the shot. 
21. Even if I slept, the eyes’ sleep, O chief, will not bring rest, 
For, O chief, every eye weeps for its own sorrow! 


This poem was composed by Miz‘el ahu Za‘éla from the 
despised Slejb tribe and recited to me by the poet. He adapted 
his pronunciation to that of the Rwala, whose dialect he had 
perfectly mastered. 

Verse 1. Among the Rwala there is no morning call to 
prayers, but the poet refers to it just as he used words which 
are not colloquial. The Muntifez carry a flag on all their raids, 
and the members of the tribes allied with them do the same. 
2. Al-Markab is sacred to all the Rwala. Should they lose it 
once only, should it be captured by the enemy, they would 
not be allowed to procure a new one, the emblem of their 
unity would be lost, and they would think that Allah had 
deserted them. 3. Al-mdteli is a rifle constructed after the 
Martini model. Jesda, or jesbah: he resembles. 4. By as- Sejh 
naf is meant here Prince an-Niri, who excelled all by hi 
bravery and prudence. 5. Tefdafiz are sharpshooters, marks- 
men; tefaka, a rifle. 6. Az‘dn are the camels which earry the 
tents, clothing, household goods, women, and children of a 
migrating clan. One of the principal tasks of a chief is to 
ensure safety during migration, as it is then that the tribe 
is in greatest danger, for then the camels are most easily 
frightened. The main body of the warriors ride, as a rule, 
at the head of the clan, while smaller troops are interspersed 
among the herds of camels grazing along the way. When the 


626 RWALA BEDOUINS 


enemy is sighted, the main troop advances to meet them. If 
the enemy is stronger, they are usually scattered, thus leay- 
ing the women and the laden camels without protection. The 
enemy then lead away the camels and search for what is 
most valuable, thus uncovering what the fair women have 
concealed. This was prevented by an-Nuri, who remained at 
the side of the deserted women. 7. Lejt zarmdn, an angry, 
irritated lion, is another poetical expression. Like a blood- 
thirsty wolf, dib az-zawdri, did an-Nutri crush the attacking 
enemy, who were unable to resist him. 8. Hafat is said of 
a mare either utterly exhausted or with a dislocated foot 
which hinders her moving. 9. The fight took place between 
al-HSejbi and Fejhan, therefore the wolves there were howl- 
ing with joy at the feast prepared for them. A hyena is 
called ‘arga’, lame, because it cannot run fast or for very long. 
10. Aftar bkownénen means that he breakfasted on two fights, 
because the Rwala with an-Niri at their head first repulsed 
at Fejhan the raid made on them by Tamer, the son of Sa 
dan, then attacked Eben Meéglad, a protégé of Sa‘diin, near al- 
‘Ewes northwest of Line, and finally defeated Sa‘din himself 
in the encounters at al-HSejbi and al-Mhata. 11. Al-hejl em- 
tellat are mares, which, being too exhausted to run any farther, 
are left behind. Al-halib elja tgaddat htaha, long-tailed mares 
whose pace grew slow, are mares with long tail hair and with 
their legs hurt in the fight; they are too slow to avoid the 
blows. 12. Jahdi or ja‘ti: he distributes gifts. Nawwaf does 
not keep the booty himself but distributes it among those 
whom he likes. 18. Shin are large trays on which meat is 
set before the guests. Both Prince an-Nuri and his son Naw- 
waf entertain guests continually; meat is always being cooked, 
and therefore their trays are full of fat drops resembling 
drops of dew. 14. The chiefs an-Niri and Nawwaf are de- 
scended from a house which has given to the Rwala from an- 
cient times chiefs and conquerors of riders. 15. Mthdn signifies 
success, favorable result. Mulik, for maldjika, angels. Bgah, 
or b’awne: with the help, under the protection of. 17. Kohtim 
is a horse afraid of nothing. 18. Wa’ sejjvir is a poetical term 
for la budd, absolutely certain, necessary. 19. Nabi kardha is 
a fat camel whose hump resembles a bulging knoll, a cone. 
20. The poet longs for a present so that he can return to his 
Slejb soon. Tafziz rabda is the fastest gait of an ostrich, 
during which it flaps its wings. The bird runs in this manner 


WAR AND PEACE 627 


when it sights a marksman, while the shot itself does not 
alarm it much. 21. Sleep will not bring rest to the poet, for 
even then he cannot forget his troubles and yearnings. 


1. Ja tamer wa’ hazgzak al-makrin 
atlob ‘asa tesdad abwdbah 

2. gittina swat ad-deba’ tes‘tin 
wa-gmuakom rabbi ahta? bah 

. bellejtuna ‘asa tebliin 
teblun nasen ‘ala rkdbah 

4. ehwat sita dwa-l-magniin 
sawwaw ‘ala-l-hejl zabzdba 

d. alli-ndebah w-alli mat tin 
hakk as-sba’ rejr sijdba 

6. ja-l-karm md-zonn jsin‘addin 
hasabt w-zajzje‘et ana hsdba 

7. w-la zenneti min ba‘ad 7éatin 
min at-tam‘a nafeshom taba. 


iS) 


1. O' Tamer, ah, may the fate bound up with thee not change! 
I pray that its gates may remain closed! 
2. Ye came upon us like wingless locusts crawling over each 
But your troops were followed by my Lord. [ other, 
o. Ye desired to crush us, now yourselves are crushed. 
Ye are the people whose necks have been crushed. 
4, With the battle cry “Sisters of Sita,” which heals the crazed, 
They enveloped the cavalry in dust clouds. 
5. How many there fell and how many were wounded 
Of youths alone, without counting the gray-haired! 
6. O thou hero, I doubt that they could be counted; 
I counted, but I erred in the number, 
7. And think not that they will come again; 
Thus of greed for booty their soul was cured. 


The poet was Selim, a slave of the sons of an-Niari’s bro- 
ther Muhammad; the reciter, Selim himself. 

Verse 1. Hazz is the fate, makriin, bound up with Tamer. 
As long as its gates remain closed, it will not change. Fate 
brought Tamer great misfortune — and will bring more mis- 
fortune should he not mend his ways. 2. Deba’? are young 
locusts, still wingless. They crawl rapidly on and over each 
other’s backs, tes‘tin. Rabbi alta’? bah: Allah, the protector of 
an-Nuri, followed Tamer’s troop in order to humble it. 3. Rkab 


628 RWALA BEDOUINS 


means men. 4. The battle cry of the Najef kin is: “Hhwédt 
sita ana-ben najef, Sisters of Sita, I am Eben Najef.” The 
sisters of Sita who should not be afraid are herds of camels. 
Zabzdba are clouds of dust whirled up during a fierce cavalry 
fight. 


1. Sadun ja mahrak as-sejbe 
hint al-ahad w-al-makatibi 

2. w-eben megldd zahar ‘ejbeh 
ahad ar-rada’ w-wahhar at-tibi 

5. sdrat ‘alejhom elja-l-rejbe 
alfén dabhen w-sdwibi 

4. ma’ wageh rab‘en lahom hejbe 
merkadzahom jesba’ ad-dibi 

5. min al-basra limasr litatejbe 
rannu beha 7a-hal as-sibi. 


1. O Sa‘din, may thy gray hair burn, 
Thou hast betrayed both treaty and letters. 

2. Eben Meglad, whose shame is seen plainly, 
Has taken up with villainy and abandoned honesty. 

3. They met with defeat at sunset. 
Two thousand of their slain and wounded 

4, Remained lying before the face of a horror-stricken troop. 
Their galloping horses will satiate wolves. 

5. From al-Basra to Egypt and the land of the ‘Atejbe 
Sing of this defeat, ye, who drive old camels. 


Prince an-Ntri was both the poet and reciter. 

Verse 1. Mahrak as-sejbe: Sa‘din, together with his gray 
hair, is committed to the fires of hell. 3. Sérat ‘alejhom sdrat, 
it befell them. “It befell,” is said when a tribe has been de- 
feated; the word al-casra, a defeat, is understood. 5. The 
‘Atejbe camp east of al-Medina and Mecca. Ahi as-Sib are 
the merchants and drovers who buy up old fat camels in inner 
Arabia, selling them afterwards in Egypt. As they travel but 
slowly and meet with various tribes and settlers on their way, 
they are expected to spread Sa‘diin’s disgrace everywhere. 


1. Ja bint Sowkeé wara’ ma ban 
jemza° beh an-nisr w-ad-dibi 

2. al-hejl lammaw bah sa‘lan 
w-al-gejs rdden genddibi 


WAR AND PEACE 629 


3. min al-kejstima ila? fejhan 
mitl al-hasab bel-ardzibi 

4. 7a bint al-mhazzab al-awgdan 
‘ala-l-razi tes‘at al-gibi. 


1. O daughter of mine, thy lover is behind, not to be seen; 

A wolf and vulture are tearing his flesh. 
2. Horses were gathered by the Sa‘lan kin, 

And the riding camels like locusts follow each other. 
3. From al-Kejsima as far as Fejhan 

[The fallen lie] on each other like the crosspieces in 

a leather bucket. 

4. O daughter, thou who paintest thy cheeks, 

For thy beloved, thou wilt tear the dress on thy breast! 


The poet and reciter was the slave Selim. The victorious 
troop led by Prince an-Niri returns with the booty taken from 
Sa‘din, the prince of the Muntifez. The women and girls stand 
in the tent corners, looking through the gaps for their sweet- 
hearts. 

Verse 2. All the horses captured by the slaves or servants 
go to their master, not to them; therefore the members of 
the Sa‘lan family collected and led them. The riding camels 
belong to those who capture them, even to the slaves and 
servants; they, however, let their masters keep them in return 
for payment. 3. Al-Kejstiima is a well. 4. The daughter spoken 
of was the wife of a fallen hero, because a wife alone is al- 
lowed as a sign of her sorrow to blacken her face with ashes 
and dust or to tear open the clasp of her dress below the 
throat. 


1. Tar ad-dahen w-ettaka-l-hawdf 
eljw mda-s-sacab sdér mutwa% 
2. al-horr al-katawi abu nawwéaf 
qa mu‘assi ad-dib elja’ Gai. 
1. Up floated the rifle smoke, and into hiding went the coward, 
Until, at last, the rebellious became obedient. 
2. The falcon hunting kata’ birds, he is the father of Nawwaf, 
Oh, he who prepares supper for a wolf which hungers! 


Of this poem Selim also was both poet and reciter. 


Sadun rdzi ‘ala? tédmer 
‘okb az-za‘al sdf be‘ajuineh 


630 RWALA BEDOUINS 


min kabl w-hw bel-asa jamer 
w-al-jowm ‘ajjaw jatitineh 
nahag ‘azizen w-gad damer 
ja razwat as-sejh maline. 


Sa‘din is again on good terms with Tamer, 

For, his anger once passed, he looked into his eyes. 

At first he commanded even the rebels, 

And today they have ceased to obey him. 

As one possessing power he set out on his journey, 
but, humbled, he came back. 

Oh, that accursed raid against the chief! 


The poet and reciter: Selim. After Tamer’s defeat some 
tribes deserted Sa‘dtin, but he intimidated them by force. 
Then, when he too was defeated, all rebelled against him. The 
raid against the chief an-Ntri was afterwards execrated by 
Sa‘dtin. 


War Between the Rwala and Eben Meglad 


Having defeated Sa‘din, Eben Sa‘lan set out on a raid 
against Eben Meglad, who at that time was camping at al- 
Mlosi, and took sixty tents and many camel herds from him. 
Eben Meglad \then sued for peace, but to this Eben Sa‘lan 
was opposed, ld jabri-s-sulh, well knowing that it was mainly 
he who had incited Sa‘dtin against him, because he had shown 
so much greed for the herds, tents, and supplies of the Rwala. 
It was then that Jisef eben Mgejd of the “Abdelle clan, who 
accompanied Eben Sa‘lan on his raid, composed the follow- 
ing poem: 


1. Ja raéeben min fowk tistat aladf hadddab 
ma’ rab‘en ‘enda-l-hasan w-al-mesd%d 

2. mekizgahen ‘an herwat al-ross w-adbab 
beswéer misfdr al-abkar as-serahig 

3. ma fowkahen rejr ashab al-meleh bedbdb 
w-dakk al-agam w-mdelakdt al-bwalid 

4. gelfen al-maltin as-salahid éenhab 
cenhab malin as-sala? w-as-salahid 

5. kil heglen twallat hejlakom gab‘ al-adnab 
Satt al-frat w-‘dnekeh sejl ‘erbid 


WAR AND PEACE 631 


6. asuf hejl Sujtihekom tel‘eb al‘éb 
‘an surbet ar-ribsan hom w-al-hamdmid 

7. abu-d-dhir mu‘'awwed jilhab alhab 
besuf rammaj al-maldbis marid 

8. wa sattak zwij al-hejl sattat halablab 
hallak tezhar min zemdajelk ferrid 

9. ww min zak less hardbna sdrebeh sab 
juzef gwadeh min wara-z-zilm w-ja%d. 


1. O thou who ridest a trotting [she-camel] with a troop 
of nine thousand! 
Their camels near the Hasan and Mesa‘id 
2. In midsummer dwell, to be protected from disease of 
the bowels and from flies, 
While at Swér in autumn thou wilt find camels young 
and well fed. 
3. The camels [of that troop] bear no load but gun- 
powder in horns, 
_ Sabers of Persian make, and spears with steel blades. 
4. They will reach the accursed Cenhab kin, 
The Cenhab, whose prayers and kin alike be cursed. 
5. Say to them: “Your riders on young mares with clipped 
tails were driven back by the cavalry 
From the river Euphrates as far as the creek of ‘Erbid.” 
6. I seem to.see your chiefs’ horses as they played 
Before the RibSan and Hamamid troop. 
7. [The Rwala emblem] Abu-d-Dhir is accustomed to 
throwing of flames 
With the help of the thunderer, defeating men clad in 
armor. 
8. Ah, that true man of strength did thoroughly cuff 
thy face 
And left thee alone of all the pack camels. 
9. Ah, of one who has tasted the tickling of our spears 
the moustache will grow gray, 
He will stop his horse and will return home behind 
the back of other men. 


The reciter was ‘Awde al-Kwéébi. 1. Hadddb is a she- 
camel which trots as fast as a mare.-:Hasan and Mesa‘id are 
tribes living in the lowland west and northwest of the Hawr4an, 
where, as a rule, the Rwala camp from the end of June to 


632 RWALA BEDOUINS 


the middle of August. 2. Swér is an important watering place 
northeast of the oasis of Skaka. Misfdr, fall camping grounds 
from the beginning of October to the middle of December. 
Serahig, well fed, was pronounced serdhid. 3. AShab al-meleh, 
dark gray salt, means gunpowder, which in the muzzle-loader 
period was carried in a little fancy horn, dbéb. Dakk al- 
‘agam, beaten by the Persians, means a Persian saber. Mdel- 
‘akat or mashubiat al-bwadlid means spears, as the Rwala drag 
steel blades on long wooden shafts. A. Salahid, a poetical ex- 
pression for kinsfolk and parents. Cenhab is an opprobrious 
nickname for the ESsage‘a. 5. The tail hair of young mares is 
either clipped or cut off entirely. The spring and the short 
creek of ‘Erbid rise near as-Samawa. 6. The ESage‘a chiefs 
merely pretended to urge their horses to atttack. In reality 
they tried to keep away from the kinsfolk of RibSAan and 
Hamamid. 7. Abu-d-Dhtr, the ancient tribal emblem of the 
Rwala, here represents Prince an-Niri and his retinue. Mar‘id, 
thunderer, is formed from mar‘ad, jemar‘ad being said for 
jer‘ad, he thunders. 8. Saft: he cuffed, he struck. Halabldab is 
an onomatopoetic word for cuffs, boxes on the ears. Zemdjel 
are male camels which carry the supplies and tents of the 
chief. The Esage‘a commander lost all his camels, or, as the 
poet puts it, of all the pack camels he alone was left, ferrid. 


POEMS OF WARS AND RAIDS 


Scorn of Fallen Chief’s Daughter for Kin Who Fail to 
Avenge Him 


1. Hall al-helal w-kamelen al-‘eltimi 
wa-tmazhalat ‘anna gami* al-haédja 
2. est hassejtu killekom jd-r-rehimi 
was ‘adrakom ma tebnagiin az-zumaja 
3. asuf ‘okbdnen ‘alejkom tehiimi 
tabri-l-‘asa minkom al-kbdr al-aldja 
4. ed‘aw bsedrat ma nakaltom etlimi 
min kabl ma ted’ un mitl az- zahaja 


entom siterhen ld juhallen ‘ardja 
6. wa? wajlakom en éan saffahtom ‘elimi 
w-allah latrihin killekom zahdja 


Se. ag a aa 


. ——— 


= “ ; 
oN ee 


WAR AND PEACE 633 


7. tehazzebu w-siri ergdlen efhimi 
w-al-adw ma jisla mitl al-hajaja 

8. wa howfeti jinkdl raéhaw lehimi 
‘eqal Sdluihom bizhitr as-sebdja. 


1. The new moon has appeared, the tale is told, 
And clear to us now is all their talk. 
2. Begone! Ill have ye acted, O avengers, 
What excuse have ye that ye comfort not those eagerly 
3. I see birds of prey circling above you, [ waiting? 
Longing to have the big and fat among you for supper. 
4. Cut with the sharp edge of the blade before it be- 
comes dull, 
Before your foes make of you sacrifices for their dead. 
5. Mourning over you are the fair ones, adorned with 
tattooing, 
For ye are their veil; they must not remain naked. 
6. Ah, woe to you, if ye reject my tidings, 
By Allah! ye all will be sacrificed for the dead. 
7. Take counsel together and become prudent; 
For an enemy cannot be struck like snakes. 
8. Ah, how I fear that it will be said: Our foes killed them 
And loaded their children on the backs of the captured 
animals. 


This poem was composed by a daughter of one Heglan 
of the Durman clan. Two kins of the latter clan quarreled. 
One of them remained in the Rwala territory, the other under 
the chief Heglan emigrated to the Sammar. An attack made 
on them by their kinsfolk was repulsed, but the chief Heglan 
fell. The raiders were pursued but without success. Heglan 
had no sons. His daughter urged her kin to revenge the slain 
chief and was promised that they would make a raid in re- 
taliation, but they put it off from one day to another. Finally 
they assured her that the raid would be carried out with the 
appearance of the new moon. Yet when it appeared the aven- 
gers stayed at home. The girl then composed this poem. The 
reciters were ‘Awde al-Kwéébi and Mindil al-Kati. _ 

Verse 2. Rehtimi are vultures which feed only on dead 
bodies. 4. The Bedouins dedicated even before Mohammed’s 
time a certain day of the year to the memory of the dead, and 
on this day they sacrifice for every person who has died in 
the past year either a she-camel or a goat. This sacrifice is 


634 RWALA BEDOUINS 


called zgahijje. If Heglan’s avengers do not take heart soon 
they will all be slain by the enemy. 8. Rahaw lehtiimi has the 
same meaning as endabahaw, were killed. 


Lament of Young Woman for Her Husband Killed 
in Battle 


1. Wannejt ja dahham tisin wenne 
ma mitlehen jowm al-halajez hegua 

2. ma mitlehen jowm al-halajez mirenne 
min azg-zeym jescen al-hazdjem zelu% 

3. wennet ‘aguz teshar al-lejl killeh 
radi lha karm al-‘ejal betu 

4. ramla w-la laha ma‘ hal al-bejt lenne 
elja’ gad twali-l-lejl kdmat tefui 

5. halli waladha bel-ma‘dra-kalenneh 
sahm az-zwari w-asbahen ‘okob gui. 


1. I mourn, O Dahham, with ninety laments 
And as many again, while all creatures rest without care, 
2. And as many again, while all creatures listen, 
For even my oppressed ribs complain of their evil lot. 
5. I mourn, waking all night with an old woman, 
Because she has lost a flower among sons, a resolute hero, 
~ 4, I mourn with a widow who has no relative left in her tent, 
Who at the close of the night pitifully moans. 
5. My husband, her son, on the battle field was devoured 
By black and skinny beasts, their hunger stilling. 


The poetess was a young woman of the Harb tribe, the 
reciters, Mhammad al-Kazib and Mindil al-Kat‘i. The young 
woman had lost in the battle her beloved husband, the only 
son of an old widowed mother, and both are mourning him. 

Verse 2. In the opinion of the Bedouins any sorrow attacks 
the breast and contracts the ribs so that the person stricken 
cannot breathe freely. 3. Betuéi is a brave rider who does not 
shrink from the fight. 4. Lenne or lelle: surely not; these 
words emphasize the negative. Hal (or ahl) al-bejt here means 
the kin of the fallen man. The old widow had lived until then 
with her son; after his death she must move to her own kin. 
Tefu% is said of the moaning and cries of an epileptic or a 
demented person. 


a a ee a 


WAR AND PEACE _ 635 


Cowardice Reproached 


1. Al-wagd wagdi lahel lebde 
allt ‘ala-l-gam* dellake 
2. al-herg md ‘dd leh zebde 
low catterowh kill melldke 
3. eben sabbah habed hebde 
w-sa‘dun ma tallak enjdkeh. 
1. I pity, I pity the people of Lubde, 
Who with courage throw themselves on the enemy. 
2. Butter cannot be had for mere talk; 
The more they spread the tidings, the more they all lie. 
3. Eben Sabbah ran till his head shook, [camels! 
And Sa‘dtn! Oh, how he dismissed the captured she- 


Eben Sabbah, the lord of al-Kwejt, together with Sa‘dain 
al-AsSkar, the head chief of the Muntifez, made a raid on 
Eben Rasid, whose troops offered resistance. Each troop con- 
sisted of the inhabitants of the same district of Hajel under 
a flag of their own. The troop of the Lubde district took 
to flight, thus endangering the others. But they took heart 
again and drove the enemy back. To excuse themselves the 
Lubde men then pretended to have retreated of set purpose. 

Verse 2. Al-herg ma leh zebde, chatter without butter, 
signifies empty talk, gossip. He works his mouth as if churn- 
ing skimmed milk but will never make butter. 


Advice to a Chief 


1. Ja-bu rega’ ja-l-karm ‘endi lakom Sowr 
w-eften tara-l-aswdr muhti w-sdjeb 

2. 94 ma hala-l-ma‘baér min senda mangir 
w-la takta® an-nahwéat kid as-saldjeb 

do. nanhar eben sailan w-al-‘ezz madjir 
ja “ezz min dar al-hara’ w-al-hardjeb 

4. naskof min as-Sdma elja-l-herr abu zowr 
marate as-Sidk al-abkdr al-andjeb 

5. rwejlat w-en hattaw bihen kill sdbiir 
tarthahom tagbor ‘alejh an-nasdjeb 

6. awlad ‘abdallah ma awldd mashitir 
merwin hadd musabbahdt al-kezdjeb 

7. w-en gaw hal al-belha da‘dtir w-da‘tir 
beymanahom tamrog ‘ala rejr tdjeb. 


636 RWALA BEDOUINS 


1.0 Abu Rega’, I have advice for you, 
But, remember, advice sometimes misses, sometimes 
reaches its aim. 
2. How sweet to ford the Euphrates at Mangir! | 
And yet a strong neck only will destroy firm plans. 
3. We shall go to Eben Sa‘lan to find power there, 
Oh, that power in a camp from which both friendship 
: and wars arise! 
4. Our tents we shall pitch from aS-Sama to al-Herr abu 
Zowr 
On pastures for young camels with wide mouths and 
humps. 
5. Such the Rwala are who, when they dig the whole spur 
into the flanks of their mares, 
Throw everyone from his saddle and send him to his fate. 
6. The sons of ‘Abdallah with the sons of MasShiar 
Give the cheeks of their daggers with their shining 
blades [blood] to drink, 
7. And if the Swalme shall come, troop after troop, 
In their right hands [ weapons will-flash] robbing a horse 
of its rider without quarter. 


The poet was Sager ar-Rafadi; the. reciters, Prince an- 
Nuri and Hmar abu ‘Awwad. The chief Abu Rega’ and his 
clan, as-Selka, having quarreled with the head chief Eben 
Haddal, prepared for war. Eben Haddal camped at that time 
on the left bank of the Euphrates, Abu Rega’ on the right. 
When the latter tried to ford the river at Mangir, he was 
warned against the unequal contest and advised to find allies 
first, as one of whom Eben Sa‘lan was recommended. Abu 
Rega’ took the advice and emigrated with his people to the 
Rwala, then camping in the inner desert. 

Verse 1. Multi w-sdjeb, missing and reaching, are expres- 
sions used in hunting and shooting at a target. 3. Al-hara’ 
means charity, generosity, friendship. 5. Rwejlat is used in- 
stead of Rwala in both a flattering and a contemptuous sense. 
6. Awlad ‘Abdallah and Awlad MaShGr are members of the 
reigning kin. Musabbehdt al-kezdjeb are the blades and handles 
of daggers variously ornamented with silver, gold, and precious 
stones. 7. Hal al-belha means the Swalme,-whose war cry“is: 
“Hajjal al-belha, the rider protecting the Belha!” as they call 
their camel herds. Da‘dtir w-da‘tir are the different troops 


WAR AND PEACE 637 


as they follow each other from the various camps to the 
battle ground. Tamrog is said of a riderless mare running 
about the battle field. ‘Ala rejr tajeb is a fight in which no 
quarter is given, 14 jamna‘. 


ANECDOTES OF WARS AND RAIDS 


Trad al-Arefa with forty men mounted on riding camels 
undertook from al-Hazim a raid against the Skir. After 
passing through ar-Rwésdat they met some Slejb, from whom 
they learned that a Skir detachment was encamped with Ben- 
der eben Haddal at the foot of the al-BiSri mountains. On 
coming near the place they saw herds of camels in the dis- 
tance and therefore sent scouts on camels, sbur, ahead to 
ascertain if there were camps near the herds and, if so, their 
number. The sbirv returned with the report that they had 
found no camp in the whole neighborhood and the herds 
seemed to be spending the night all alone, ‘azib. After sun- 
set the raiders prepared to attack. Thirty warriors mounted 
on fifteen camels threw themselves on the resting. herds, 
while the other riding camels remained with Trad and ten 
men in reserve, sdbuir. On reaching the herds fifteen dis- 
mounted, began to untie fetters on the left forelegs of the 
kneeling camels, and in a little while had collected a group 
of about thirty animals. But at that moment the herdsmen, 
waking up, raised the alarm and, quickly blowing up the red 
hot coals of their fires which had been covered for the night, 
they ignited large handsfull of sih which they threw burning 
among the herds. The frightened animals shied, and those al- 
ready unfettered began to run away, carrying the enemy’s 
riding camels along with them. Moreover, the cries and the 
flaring up of the fires alarmed the camp hidden in a neigh- 
boring gully, from where a troop of rescuers arrived on the 
scene, surrounding the place of the attack in a large circle, 
The attackers tried to hide but were discovered after sunrise; 
those who resisted were slain, three were pardoned, and nine 
succeeded in making their escape, twallahow, to the Skur camp, 
where they asked the women and children for protection and 
thus saved their lives. These nine lost all their weapons, while 
the three who were pardoned received theirs back. The leader 
Trad took to flight with his whole reserve as soon as he 
heard the alarm cries and the shooting. 


638 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Once the Rwala camp was in the watershed of al-Hamad, 
far® al-hamdd, when it was learned that the DahdmSe were 
moving from the al-Wudijan territory to al-Ka‘ara. As there 
was hostility between them at that time, the Rwala decided 
to attack. Providing themselves with barley for their mares 
and with flour, truffles, Gema, dry locusts, gerdd, and dry 
dates for themselves, they set out under the command of 
Nawwaf. Having traversed the upper part of as-Swab, after 
the fifth night they sent out scouts, who succeeded in captur- 
ing three men traveling.on donkeys, kzebow zilm ‘ala lhom 
hmar. Having obtained from them the welcome information 
of the location of the DahamSe camp, they hastened towards 
it as soon as the moon rose; but the enemy had left, having 
resumed their march in the meanwhile. When the Rwala 
followed their tracks, nakzob atarhom, they found them in 
the afternoon building a new camp; but the raiders decided 
to rest till the morning star, nigmet as-subeh, made its ap- 
pearance. Then they delivered their attack, sabbahndhom, and, 
having captured the enemy’s camels, horses, tents, and various 
utensils, began their return march. In the afternoon clouds 
of dust suddenly rose behind them, whirled up by the troops 
sent from the other DahamSe camps to help their attacked 
brothers; arriving too late to be of any use, they had gone 
in pursuit of the raiders. But the Rwala instantly threw 
themselves between their booty and the pursuers, killed two 
men and two mares, and compelled the Dahamée to retreat. 
After three nights they brought their whole booty home. 


The Skur clan of the ‘Amarat had a stud horse, so fa- 
mous throughout the country that even the Rwala had their 
best mares covered by him. But when war broke out between 
them the Rwala dared not bring their mares there as for- 
merly. One of the young chiefs of the latter regretted that 
he did not know where to take his mare. Mindil al-Kat‘i, who 
happened to be present in his tent, said that, as there was 
no better stallion in the world than the one owned by the 
Skur, he should lead the mare to him, offering to do so him- 
self for a consideration. 

The chief laughed, claiming that it was quite impossible. 

“Promise me the first filly the mare bears, and I will 
have her covered by that stallion in thy presence!” 


WAR AND PEACE 639 


“Thou shalt get the first filly, if thou dost as thou sayest.” 
“Who guarantees that thou wilt fulfill thy promise?” 
“So-and-So will guarantee.” 

“We guarantee.” 

Mindil then rose, saddled his camel and rode away. Shortly 
afterwards he and a comrade of his set out in the direction 
of the Skir camp, bent on robbery. Coming near the camp 
where the stud horse was kept, they first hid in a gully. 
Leaving his comrade with the she-camels, Mindil crawled to 
the camp alone. He had arranged with the comrade that he 
was to stay in the gully till the next evening and to start 
for home in case he, Mindil, should not have returned by 
that time. He reached the camp when the dew had passed. 
At some distance from the camp he saw the tent where, as 
a rule, the stud horse was kept. The animal was tied up in 
the shade under the tent; three slaves charged with the care 
of him were lying not far off. As the camp was situated be- 
side a large watering place, Mindil thought it well to wait 
until they either led the horse to the water or watered him 
in the tent. Shortly before noon he saw one of the slaves 
saddle the animal, while another unlocked his fetters and laid 
them down in the tent. One slave then jumped in the saddle 
and rode to the water, the other two walking beside him. At 
the watering place hundreds of camels were crowding, all 
impatient to drink. This was Mindil’s opportunity. Pushing 
his way among the dense mass, he reached, unobserved, the 
place where the slaves were watering their charge, leaped at 
them, revolver in hand, shot the slave from the saddle, with 
another shot felled the one holding the bridle, jumped in the 
saddle himself, and dashed into the desert. The camels grazing 
near by protected him. against shots that might have been 
fired after him, and as soon as he was out of range he turned 
into a deep gully, changed his course, reached before long a 
stony plain, and, crossing this to the opposite side of the Sktr 
camp, hid between two crags. When it grew dark, he started 
for home, arriving there without any mishap. Having watered 
and fed the stud horse, he put on better clothes, mounted 
his camel, and brought the horse to the chief, from whom he 
received twenty she-camels in exchange. A half of them went 
to Mindil’s comrade in the venture, but he himself had also 
the filly two years later, as originally agreed. 


640 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Mindil al-Kat‘i had as neighbor, kasir, a Sammari, the 
father of a boy about sixteen years old. Once, when going 
on a private raid to the Hwétat territory, Mindil took the boy 
with him. On reaching the Hwétat’s herds, the youngster was 
sent ahead as a spy, but, being incautious, he was caught by 
the herdsmen and led into the camp. Some Sararat, who hap- 
pened to be there, recognized him at once, and the Hwetat 
thus learned that his father was camping with the Rwala, 
with whom they were then at war. When the boy refused 
to answer their questions, they bound his legs with a chain 
used in fettering horses and, tying his hands also, they laid 
him down in a tent of one of the chief’s slaves. After wait- 
ing for the boy’s return a long time, Mindil guessed that he 
had met with some mishap and, hiding both the camels he 
came on, crawled cautiously towards the herdsmen and ar- 
rived just in time to see them lead their captive to the camp. 
As the camp was located in a rocky territory, he was able 
to hide in a crevice, from where he could observe the tent 
occupied by the chief. Next day Mindil saw two slaves drag- 
ging the boy, still in chains, into a tent close to the hillside 
where he was hiding. A young bay mare with her legs fet- 
tered was standing in front of the tent. Towards noon a young 
female slave appeared, unlocked the mare’s fetters and was 
about to lead her to the watering place; she entered the 
tent for a moment, evidently to get a bowl and the bucket. 
That very instant Mindil leapt down from the hillside, picked 
up the boy, and, mounting the saddled mare, broke the rein 
which held her to the tent and disappeared among the crags. 
The women in the tent shrieked in alarm, but, as some of 
the men were having their midday sleep and others were 
busy at the watering place, it was some time before they 
could start in pursuit of the fugitive. Mindil cunningly rode 
in the direction of the pastures, where the herds were guarded 
by men on horseback, and thus obliterated the tracks of his 
mare. On reaching a strip covered with rough gravel he 
changed his course, found the place where his she-camels and 
both his and the boy’s rifles were hidden, and there he stopped. 
Breaking the boy’s fetters he climbed with him to a crag 
where they hid behind a pile of stones and waited for the 
pursuers. But not a single one appeared, as they had failed 
to find their tracks; thus Mindil was able to return home 
that evening, bringing a young mare as his booty. 


WAR AND PEACE 641 


STORIES OF WARS AND RAIDS TOLD BY BLEJHAN 
EBEN ZERI 

Blejhan eben Zeri of the Al Mesreb kin of the al- Kmusa 
division of the Sba‘a tribe related the following stories: 

“The warriors of the Kmusa, commanded by Fejaz al 
Mesreb, of the ‘Ebede division, who were led by Turki eben 
Wajel, of the Fed‘an tribe, at whose head was Gedii al- 
Karah, of the Sammar tribe in Mesopotamia under the chief 
Saar al-Hajjat, and of the ‘Azazre kin, who were led by 
Zejd eben Hrejmis, went on a raid together. They numbered 
over four hundred and were mounted partly on the horses, 
partly on the camels, ma bén hejl w- al-gejs. They intended to 
attack the tribes and clans called Ahl aS-Semal. I rode with 
them. We started our march, tawwarna, from the valley of 
al-Murabba‘a and spent the night, emrahna, near as-Sazri in 
the valley of al-Mijah. Another march brought us to the castle 
of Burku‘, and, although we examined, hammejna, its neigh- 
borhood Pe Grade hiv: we found nobody and therefore turned 
south keeping between the black and white country, w-sar 
darbna ‘ala hadd swid min bejédz, and entered, nakett, the 
valley of Na‘em, which comes from Samat al-WAadi. In the 
lowland of ar-RaSrasijje we made our supper. The next morn- 
ing we mounted our animals again and rode up, sanadna, the 
se%ib of al-Hsajde. When the day declined, jowmen ga tdlit 
an-nahdr, Te‘es al-Hadani, Ged al-Karah, and Baré gas eben 
Wajel advanced to spy out the country. They returned at night 
with four camels big with young, ma‘dsir. As we learned some- 
time afterwards, these animals had run away from captured 
herds which raiders of the ‘Amarat tribe were driving before 
them. The leaders of our raiding party, al-‘okada, wanted to 
have the camels slaughtered for the use of the warriors, but 
the scouts declared: 

‘May Allah seize you! Whoever brings anything, much or 
little, he brings it for himself, not for you. Jéhedkom allah 
alli gajeb Say’en (sic) Cetiren walla? kalilen jahodeh leh.’ The 
she-camels thus remained their property and were driven 
along with us in the morning. It was then that CGeda al- 
Karah said: 

‘Look at these four pregnant she-camels, hal-‘asdjer! Think 
ye not that their owners will make search for them? Send 
out a few riders to seek their owners, hajjdlaten jetasajjehawn 
ahalhen.’ 


642 RWALA BEDOUINS 


“Then Cenwan al-Karah and Bargas eben Wajel rode 
up a high hill and from there sighted a rider on a whitish 
camel, ra% delilen zerka, with a water bag, following the 
tracks of the camels. Dashing down and unsaddling him, they 
put his camel with the four already captured. On we marched 
looking for Arabs, w-masijna netatalle: lil-‘arab, but it was 
not until the following noon that we saw the first group of the 
migrating Ahl aS-Semal. Some were just pitching their tents 
and others were still on the march, awwal al-mezdhir ndzele 
w-talihom ma nazal, so that it was quite easy for us to take 
not only their tents but also their supplies and whole outfit, 
bujut w-azwad w-helwdt. But we were soon overtaken by their 
protecting troop, numbering about thirty men on horseback. 
They were led by a warrior seated on a bay, who shouted 
at us: 

‘A rider trusting in the Merciful trembles with a longing 
for you; ye shall know him, ye infamous thieves! Where are 
your commanders? Hajjdl ar-rahmdn sakran hajjdlen ta‘re- 
funeh al-bowkan sowdén al-wagih wén ‘okadakom.’ 

“He was answered by Gedi‘: ‘What is that, thou riff-raff? 
Are we not the sons of ‘Obejd? We take from you because 
we have declared war on you, ‘ala wazgah an-neka? dhdinkom.’ 

“Then we offered resistance and assailed, nekarmet, both 
the riders on the horses and on the camels, who also had 
come up with us in the meantime. Gedii‘ struck the warrior 
who was mounted on the bay mare such a blow with his spear 
that he threw him out of the saddle. The bay started to run 
away with Gedi‘ in hot pursuit. It seemed as if the enemy 
were on the point of rescuing the animal, but at that moment 
Eben Wajel appeared on the scene and captured her himself. 
Gedi‘ later laid claim to her, and after some dispute the 
matter was put before a judge, ‘drefa, who decided that she 
belonged to Gedis but that he must give her first filly to 
Eben WaAajel and a she-camel besides. We killed many of the 
enemy warriors on that expedition and captured not only the 
horses of the fallen, hejl al-kara‘a, but their grazing herds 
as well, ahadna al-haldl min al-fela’, and then started back 
home by the same route. Near Habra-s-Slubijje we divided 
our booty, every one then going with his share to his kin, 
w-killen ahad casmeh w-nahar ahleh. We arrived there with- 
out any mishap to our booty, mendéf. Our kinsfolk were not 
camping at al-Murabba‘a any longer, but at al-BiSri.” 


WAR AND PEACE 643 


“Once we camped with the Btejnat clan between as-Sazri 
and the Radir at-Tejr. It was in winter time. One night it 
was snowing, lejlet at-telg, and in that very night we were 
attacked by Eben Hangar of the Flete kin, al-Frege clan, 
Rwala tribe, who, taking our camels, w- ahad ‘aleyna debes, 
disappeared under the cover of nara cee. rada taht al-lejl. In 
the morning I, that is Blejhan, followed their tracks, w-tani-l- 
jowm inni ja blejhdn kassejt atarhom, finding such unmis- 
takable traces of them that I could trail them like a guide 
who knows the desert as well as the kata’ birds, delil katawi. 
When we asked help of the chief Eben Mersed in a neigh- 
boring camp, he joined us in the pursuit of the raiders, 
whom we found near as-Sib, where they were just dividing 
their booty. Concealing our camels in a gully, I, that is Blejhan, 
went to them and asked: 

‘Who are ye, ye riders on camels?’ 

“They replied: ‘We are the men commanded by Eben 
Hangar, and these she-camels we took from the Fed‘an.’ 

‘And where did ye encounter them? wén kuntom‘alejhom,’ 

‘At ad-Defajen, yesterday morning. And who are thy 
comrades?’ 

‘They are the warriors commanded by Eben Me‘éel.’ In 
the meantime my comrades had surrounded the raiders, and 
Eben MerSed showed himself to them, crying: 

‘Oh, woe, what news is this that makes me tremble and 
grow angry? Ye, our friends, and ye attack our Arabs at 
night and take their camels? Such are not the ways of a 
trusted friend, md tagri ‘ala-s-siddiz. We then took not only 
all our camels from them but their own, too, and, returned 
home with them.” 


“On another occasion we camped between al- Rurab and 
at-Tinf. Side by side with us were the camps of Sakr and 
Fejaz al Mesreb, of the Ab-as-Snin kin of the Hrasa clan of 
the Fed‘an tribe, and of Eben Hdejb of the ‘Ebede division 
of the as-Sba‘a tribe. The chiefs had much whispering among 
themselves for a few days, and, when they had finished, te- 
nagow as-sujuh bénhom w-jowmen halasow min hal-mangwi, 
they announced to us: 

‘Behold a raid! He who has no comrade with a pack camel, 
let him seek one; tardkom razw w-illi mé ‘endeh zamméail je- 
dawwer leh zamméal.’ 


644 RWALA BEDOUINS 


“A pack camel should be an animal of some strength to 
be able to carry water and food for both itself and two riders. 
A man owning a horse usually pays to a comrade with a camel 
of that kind ten megidij7a 
owner of the pack camel Relars es, Bet ra eae | fen: 

‘I want an equal part of thy booty and do not care whether 
it be much or little, inni Serié billi tgtb éetiren willa’ Zelilen.’ 

“The raid was directed against the kinsfolk of Eben Mezjed 
of the al-Hsene tribe and against the as-Sa‘ad clan of the ‘Umir 
tribe, who we learned were encamped in al-Gwejf. When we 
were marching on the third day, we sighted a small fire at 
night, tala‘na-n-nire bil-lejl, between the south and the west. 
This moved Sakr 4] Mesreb to say: | 

‘Who will find out something about the Arabs of that fire? 
ja min jehberhom 44 min jenosshom,’ 

“Kiveryone thought that somebody should go there so that 
we could know whether they were the Arabs we were seeking 
or not. But as a venture of this kind is very dangerous, every 
commander must fix the special reward the spy is to get. 
Kalow al-mwdjge bhada wahed jegihom bal hattu leh ‘ala kill 
“azid medle ja‘ni talbe. When this had been done by each com- 
mander, one of the warriors started on the dangerous trip. 
Putting on a cloak of gazelle skins such as is worn by the 
Slejb, he rode in the direction of the fire. When near it, he 
made his she-camel kneel on a flat-topped height, nawwah 
delileh bhak al-matne al-‘dlja, and approached them on foot, 
naharhom zelema. Walking slowly he passed from one tent 
to another, w-lawwad ‘ala hak al-bejt ‘ala hak al-bejt, finally 
saluting a woman with the words: 

‘May God increase thy strength, O girl! kawweé jd bint,’ 

‘Welcome to thee, hungry one. May God preserve thee! Jd 
hala marhaba bil-hwi 74-llah hajjeh.’ 

“Because of the cloak he wore the woman took him for 
a hungry Slubi. Then he said: ‘God is oppressing me, ana D‘e- 
dab allah. My little donkeys were tired, so I left them with my 
kin in that hollow yonder and came to see who these Arabs 
were; hmejrati tlajjesen ahli hallejthom bihal-herr zebdlkom 
w-gitkom asuf minhom hal-‘arab. I shall return and bring my 
relatives to one of the chiefs here, agib ahli ‘ala-had has-sujth.’ 

“The woman told him willingly: ‘These are the ‘Abid of 
the Hsene, those ate the Sa‘ad of the ‘Umar, and those over 
there the Fwa‘re.’ 


WAR AND PEACE 645 


“This satisfied the man, who said: ‘Oh, may God prolong 
their lives! They are the very people I am looking for, édjen 
udawwerhom. Now I can go back at once and bring my people.’ 

“After a while he asked: ‘Are ye going to migrate to- 
morrow or shall ye stay here? bdéer entom rahil willa mzimin.’ 

‘Yes, we shall migrate, rahil.’ 

“Returning to his comrades, rab’eh, he reported, ‘allem- 
hom, what he had learned. But the woman also related to 
her neighbors, ‘allamat eksaraha: 

‘A Slubi came to me just now. He wanted to know all 
about the Arabs here and then left to bring his folk.’ When 
the other women told their husbands about it, all tried to 
find the pretended Slubi, w-tahammasi as-slubi jedawwertin 
‘alejh, but, when he could not be seen anywhere, they became 
Suspicious: 

‘That man surely was a spy of a raiding troop, hada nu- 
dejse razw.’ Some then left the camp that very night, taking 
their tents and flocks with them; others again prepared both 
for flight and defense. 

“When the morning star appeared we sighted their migrat- 
Ing pack camels, attacked them, and took everything they had. 
Nejtul from whom thou, O Misa, hast bought the greyhound 
Kattaf, captured a yellowish she-camel, rahiilen safra, laden 
with linen trousers full of tobacco, a saddle bag filled with 
coffee, a wooden mortar, nigr hagab, and a large sack of dry 
cheese, ki8k. On our side, that is to say of the warriors who 
took part in the raid, both brothers Al Snane who commanded 
the Fed‘an warriors were killed. After some obstinate fighting 
we secured the whole booty and I, Blejhan, got five sheep. 
Returning to our old camping ground, I found it deserted. 
Some traveler, téres, of the Dwam kin of the “Ebede, had told 
our relatives of a good pasturage by the as-Sultani road, and 
thither they had gone.” 


“Fejaz al Mesreb promised to care for my Sheep, and I 
started on a new raid. There were twelve of us on six camels 
with Caseb eben ‘Omejm of the Sba‘a as commander. Our plan 
was to slip through towards the Rwala, ‘aj/arna lema-r-rwala, 
who were then camping between Riran al-Banat, al-Mrejr, 
and Sak al-Herr. We drank and also watered our camels at 
a msds in the hillocks, behind which the settlements of al-Krej- 
jat [Damat al-Gandalijje and the other oases in the al-Giba 


646 RWALA BEDOUINS 


basin] were hidden; next we stopped at Umm Tarfa, and then 
we went up through a valley unknown to me in a south- 
westerly direction. There we sighted some people with four 
riding camels, tala‘na hal arba* raédjeb. Before they noticed 
us we made our she-camels kneel and waited for them. They 
were riding at a fast gait through the valley where we were 
hidden. When they came within shooting distance, we leapt at 
them, fa‘na ‘aléhom ja‘ni rkazna ‘alejhom, and threw them out 
of the saddles, tarahnéhom. But as it appeared, they were not 
our enemies, therefore we could take nothing from them, and, 
as they had nothing to eat, we gave them some dates. They 
turned east then, where they disappeared, lemd haffow ja‘ni 
ab‘adow. West of Sidd al-Herr we found some Arabs. Lying 
down on the opposite side we sent: out a spy to have a look 
at them, naddasna ‘aleyjhom. He was a man from the Skar 
clan. After a while he returned with the report that they 
belonged to the Gmejsat kin of the Dah&am&e whose chief 
was Eben Meglad. As we lived in friendship with them we 
turned to the west, avoiding a raiding troop of the Sararat 
who were driving, at some distance from them, flocks of sheep 
and goats as well as of camels which they had taken from 
some kin of the ‘Amarat, who were on the way from the east 
to the inner desert, jowm waghom MUSALY ez bawwal al-wakt. 
We played with these little friends [Sararat] of ours for a 
while and took a few small flocks away from them. Roast- 
ing a goat and a sheep, we hid the rest in a little gully south 
of al-Giba under the guard of four camel riders. Near R&Gm 
Migwel we escaped, nasalna, from the Rwala, who were just 
migrating in small groups to al-Mrejr and a§- Swejhet. There 
was abundance in the desert then and plenty of water every- 
where. In such times brother does not long for brother, w-ad- 
dinja rabt md waddak ahik jetobb ‘alejk. At once we observed 
on our right a large herd of camels. We went as near to it as 
we dared and moved parallel with it, nasdarhen. I said: 

‘By Allah himself! This herd must have been bought by 
an ‘Akejli.. But no sooner did its guards see us than they 
cried for help, afza‘ow ‘alejna; we gulped down the anxiety 
which took hold of us, gara‘na al-hamm alli ma‘ana, fled, 
nahasna, and kept on fleeing for a long time, w-ahadna waket 
w-henna menhdsin. When we reached the head of the Ab- 
al-Kur valley and saw nobody there, we thought we were at 
last safe but were sadly mistaken. Suddenly we were con- 


WAR AND PEACE 647 


fronted by the sons of the Rstm, who overtook us on their 
fast mares and bade us yield, with the words: 

‘O ye camel riders, by Eben Rasem!’ 

“Our answer was: ‘Faith, we are of the ‘Amar at, zdd henna-l- 
“amardat.’ 

“Then they said: ‘May God grant long life to you! If that 
is true, ye will ride to us with full honors. Hajjdkom elja’ édn 
elhakow ‘ala sime w-hasime.’ 

“And we replied: ‘O Eben RaSem, ye camp too far from 
here, and we do not want either to return or to turn aside 
from our course.’ 

“Then one shouted: ‘Ye are enemies. Ye are no ‘Amarat’ 
and began to shoot at us. They had two rifles, we had three. 
I, that is Blejhan, attacked with my spear one of the enemy, 
who also had only a spear. He was about to stab at me, but 
missed; natah w-zarabni bis-salfa w- -ahtani. I knocked him 
from his mare and captured her. One of my comrades un- 
saddled another enemy, not forgetting to take his mare. In 
the beginning of the melée our pursuers took two riding cam- 
els from us, but as God gave us victory we recaptured them, 
and the enemy had to retire to their people. We reached 
by a roundabout way our comrades who were hiding south 
of Gawa, traversed all of al- Hamad, and did not return to our 
camp at al-Hwér until a month after our departure.” 


‘“‘Sakr al Mesreb once camped between as- Swab and al- 
Waar. I, that is Blejhan, camped with him. One day after 
the dew had passed, az-zaha min an-nahéar, Sakr went hunt- 
ing and took his glasses with him. eeandine the high bank 
of the al-Wa‘ar valley, jowm tahdjak ‘ala §e%b al-watar Jani 
asraf ‘ala-l-wa‘ar, he saw in the valley below a troop of raiders. 
They were just dividing their camels, ja‘zel al-gejs, in two 
groups: one to carry their provisions and the other to form 
a reserve, sdbur. Their cavalry was to attack our herds, 
jaridun jaririn ‘okb al-‘azl. Approaching nearer through dead 
ground, w-darakhom ma‘ al-ratér, so as not to be noticed, 
Sakr cried out: 

‘Here stands, O ye camel riders, Sakr 41 Mesreb. What 
are your intentions? Now you must either bargain with me 
for your lives or I shall order my enraged kin to mount their 
horses and slay you all, jahebb tarediin mai ‘ala ‘azizkom ja- 
hebb uhalli ‘abbds jeraééeb dijas, 


648 RWALA BEDOUINS 


“Then he gave the alarm cry: ‘O riders on horseback, 
help!’ 

“When the enemy’s cavalry noticed that a rider on horse- 
back was holding up their sdbir, they gave up their attack 
on the herds and pursued Sakr instead. But before they could 
reach the camp they were met by galloping Arab riders, and 
the raiding troop was surrounded in a moment. The enemy 
horse riders saved themselves by flight, but the men on cam- 
els had to yield./Fejaz 4l Mesreb’s share of the booty, hasseh, 
was three riding camels, Sakr’s twenty-eight; and the rest of 
the camels, with the waterbags and supplies, the Arabs di- 
vided among themselves.” 


“Under the commander Barakat eben Stéwi of the Eben 
Mersed of the Kmusa division, we once undertook a raid from 
as-Se‘en and as-Su‘én, places lying southwest of Esrija. Second 
in command was Gebel as- -Sekawi of the ‘Awagi kin of the 
Weld Slejman, that is of the Fed‘an. We rode on seventy she- — 
camels against the Sammar in Negd, that is against the Sin- 
sara, who were reported to be camping somewhere between as- 
Subeée and al-Lifijje. Our road led past al-Kdejm, at-Tajjibe, 
as-Suhne, and Wadi al-Mijah, where we drank from the Warka 
wells; then to al-Herijjan, where the grave of Turki eben Mhejd 
is located. We halted to drink at al-Rarri, proceeded farther 
past al-Lmat and as-Srejfijj je, and rested south of Kart al- 
Zidr at the very beginning of ‘Amez. Our next night’s rest 
was at the outlet of al-Hazimi into al-Radaf below the wells 
of Umm as-Serim. But our fires were noticed by some raid- 
ers of the Singara, as we discovered, against whom we had 
come out. They approached quite close and began to shoot 
as we lay down to sleep. Taken by surprise, the thought of 
everyone of us was to reach his camel and make an escape, 
because in the darkness we could not even see the position 
of the enemy nor how many there were of them. They killed 
six of our men, wounded many, and took thirty-seven of our 
she-camels. 

“Loading the lightly wounded on the remaining camels, 
we scattered in all directions, but all aimed to reach al-Lmat. 
There we found the Slejb chief Hlejs eben Maleé, left our 
wounded with his people, refreshed ourselves with the Slejb 
kin of Al Fowzi by the al- Rarri well, and cut across as-Swej- 
bat to Wadi al-Mijah, where we also found hospitality with 


WAR AND PEACE 649 


the Slejb. Then we rode to al-Hejl, slept there, left again 
shortly before sunrise, and next noon arrived in as-Suhne. 

“In that place we learned that the Singara had captured 
some herds from the ‘Ebede and were sending them home 
under the protection of a few guards, while the rest of the 
raiders still remained at al-Kowm and at-Tajjibe, planning 
fresh attacks from there against the Sba‘a and the Fed‘an. 
Having eaten, we left as-Suhne for at-Tajjibe. A spy sent out 
by us came back with the information that the Singara were 
spending their night somewhere in al-MinSar. That gave us 
an idea. Agreeing among ourselves to divide our booty equally, 
we at once sped on our camels to this place. The Singara we 
soon found; first fettering our camels, we surrounded the 
enemy while still asleep, but, as most of us had lost our rifles, 
we had to provide ourselves with heavy clubs, madarib. The 


men thus armed were first to assail the enemy, while those - - 


with rifles stayed behind in order to prevent their escaping. 
I, that is Blejhan, swung a long club, madrub, which put more 
than one of the sleepers to sleep for ever. But the singara 
were superior in numbers. They began to shoot at us, but, the 
night being dark and moonless, they were unable to take aim, 
whereas their burning fires helped us to see them well. We 
took five mares and about fifty camels from them and freed 
all the herds they had captured from the ‘Ebede. On the same 
night we fled with the whole booty, singing merrily all the 
way home, which was in a camp near Esrija.” 


“Once we camped for a considerable length of time, kd- 
tenin, at Gibb together with the Fed‘an. Sammit eben Mhejd 
of the Fed‘an and our Sakr Al Mesreb arranged to make a 
raid together against the Rwala. There were about three 
hundred of us on both horses and camels. After two days 
out we drank from the ‘Aklat Swab, wheeled about, nenkez, 
towards the grave of Turki eben Mhejd, rode up the vailey 
of al-Heri abu-r-Ruzuma, and spent the night above al-Mlosi, 
bfowzi-l-mlosi. The following evening and the next day we 
rested by the water hole Berim al-Bint. We did not water our 
horses at first, nezfel al-hejl, either in the evening or in the 
morning but only showed them water in order to increase 
their thirst the more. At last when they began to demand 
it, angrily neighing and rearing, estasraben, we gave them to 
drink — and then so thoroughly as to enable them to go without 


650 RWALA BEDOUINS 


water for two days. Leaving the next morning, we arrived in 
the evening at al-Mazari*, fed the horses there, again rode 
all night, and finally reached, beyond ‘Enaza, the head of ar- 
Rweésed, which forms at that point a hollow, sowh, changing 
later into a valley, Se%b. There our guide, Gazi abu Fanha 
of the ‘Azazre kin, subject to Eben Hrejmis, told us to rest, 
as a chief of a smaller kin of the Slejb, at-Tarafi by name, 
was encamped in the neighborhood. He set off to that camp 
and soon returned, driving a few goats before him, which we 
cooked for our supper. Finally, between al-HwejmAat and Burku‘ 
we sighted some herds, which we knew as we approached 
them at night, hdzejndhom, must be grazing far from their 
camp, ‘azib. Attacking them in the morning, we drove away 
a considerable booty and did not stop before al-Mazari*. At 
this place the heavy black clouds which had been hanging 
above us for some time sent down a copious rain, by which all 
were greatly refreshed, we, the sons of Adam, and our mares 
and she-camels as well. Then full of joy we returned to our 
kinsfolk, whom we found near the stone heaps between Gibb 
and the se%b of as-Slubi.” 


“CAaseb eben ‘“Omejm once invited us to join him on a 
plundering expedition, ‘ajjarna. There were twelve of us on 
ten she-camels, mrddif. Having mounted our camels in our 
camp between at- Tinf and al-Rurab, we first drank from al- 
MSa8 and headed for Zelib Hdejb and Swér, passing the settle- 
ment of Skaka. Stopping for a chat with the inhabitants of 
this settlement, nakarna ‘ala-hl hék al-blejdat, we learned that 
there were some Rwala camping between Ambat and the Ne- 
fud. On our way to them we attacked some haymakers, but re- 
turned everything to them, addejndhom, when we found them 
to be inhabitants of al-Gowf. Soon afterwards we found tracks, 
evidently made by the ‘Abdelle. Water we found in the shallow 
hollows, hwaja, of the rocky eminence at al-Geba’®. To the east 
of these we concealed ourselves in a small deep gully, where 
fires could be lit without being seen from the outside, Sa “egjeb 
alli ndreh ma tndwer. But the notorious Halaf abu Hatlén of 
the Skir, who with his band of robbers had a hiding place 
near by, soon discovered our presence and, creeping to the 
very bank of our gully, observed us from above and called his 
men. Suddenly we found ourselves surrounded on all sides. 


The menacing band cried as with one voice: 
3 


WAR AND PEACE 651 


‘Where are ye from, ye crowd down there?’ 

“We were just then preparing for Supper. Jumping away 
from the fire, we lay down on our bellies — for we feared 
they might shoot—and began to crawl out of the gully. A 
few of us answered: ‘We are the sons of “Obejd and ye — 
whence are ye? We entreat you by Him who strengthens, who 
Speaks the truth and punishes with cowardice him that lies.’ 

‘He need not punish us with cowardice. We are the Skar. 
Your language told us that ye are really “Obejd’s sons. And 
which ones?’ 

‘Of the Eben Mesyeb kin.’ 

“So they brought their camels and sat down with us to 
supper. There were twelve of them in all. Next morning we 
rode out together against the ‘Abdelle, whose herds we soon 
sighted south of Kasr Ambat. Then we concealed ourselves. 
As soon as it grew dark, we fettered our camels near the 
place and crept towards the camp. At midnight we were close 
to the tents, nestaket ‘aleyjhom. But they were not arranged 
in rows; some stood in the full light on the level land, others 
were hidden in the darkness of the dale. This fact prevented 
us from coming in between them without being noticed by 
some of the watchmen, w-ld sdr lena media’ ‘aleyhom. On 
Halaf’s advice four camel riders were to make a feint attack, 
haggajat, in order to draw attention to themselves; and so it 
was done, but the ‘Abdelle would not be deceived. Only a few 
offered resistance, while the others, posting themselves in 
smaller groups at various points, counter-attacked with such 
vehemence that we could only run back quickly to our fet- 
tered she-camels. But the ‘“Abdelle pursued us even there, and 
one of them, Hbejran by name, shot two of our good animals. 
Then we fled with the Nefad on our left after our leader 
Halaf, the “Abdelle’ keeping close at our heels and sending 
their stones [bullets] after us rapidly. To save ourselves we 
fettered the left foreleg of our best camel and left it with 
both the saddle and ribbons to the pursuers. A camel thus 
abandoned is called ka‘ajjed redde, signifying that the pur- 
sued will not harm the pursuer any more. However, the ‘Ab- 
delle did not stop. O Allah, what toil we had to escape with 
our bare lives! Behind us there was uninterrupted lightning, 
and the stones [bullets] fell among us like so much hail. A 
terrible fright took hold of us, jatekna-l-msds, and we were 
about to disperse, when at the last moment Eben Sa‘id with 


652 RWALA BEDOUINS 


his troop came up with us before sunrise, threw himself upon 
the “Abdelle, and thus rescued us from their hands. So we re- 
turned to our people camping in WAdi al-Mij&ah not far from 
the as-Sazri wells, without having achieved anything.” 


“Four members of the Hwejs8an kin went on a raid on 
foot, hansalow. Hejran eben Meslet was their leader. They 
crossed as-Swab, heading for Mesopotamia against the Sam- 
mar then encamped at ad-Demim and as-Saba‘, east of al- 
Mijadin. As soon as the herds were sighted they separated, 
two stealing at night up to the place where the herds were 
resting, al-marh. One called Za‘%ida stayed with their clothing, 
the other crawled half-naked to the camels, intending to un- 
fetter a few and drive them towards his comrade. Succeeding 
in unfettering them, he hurried the animals toward the spot 
Where they had agreed to meet when a certain star had 
reached a certain height. He was pursued, however, but when 
the za%ida man guarding the clothing began to shoot at the 
pursuers, they halted. After waiting a long time for the other 
two comrades they finally rode away with their booty, men- 
ser. The other two had no success owing to the vigilance of 
the dogs, who, on scenting the man approaching the herd, 
began to bark, causing both of them, the Za%da as well as the 
plunderer, to flee. Then they hid in a gully and the following 
night went out to plunder again. Allah having granted them 
booty, they hastened with it towards the Euphrates. Yet the 
Sammar pursued and overtook them by the ford. There the 
robbers abandoned their booty and fled. But they now tried 
a third time to take booty, ‘dwadow tdlet néba. This time 
they got two camels and, after breaking her iron fetters, a 
mare. One man galloped away with the she-camels, the other 
rode the mare. But this animal balked, 4nd he was left far 
behind his comrade. When he urged her by blows to run 
faster, she began to neigh and would not stir. Finally he had 
to abandon the mare and, try to overtake his comrade on 
foot. Thirsty and hungry he at last sat down below a slope, 
fearing that he would perish miserably. In this distress he 
said with a sigh: ‘O Allah, if thou desirest my welfare, then 
either feed me or take my soul to thyself!’ And it happened 
by Allah’s will that the unfortunate man’s comrade was hid- 
ing a little higher up on the same slope and sighted him 
from there. Descending to him, he heard his words and rolled 


WAR AND PEACE 653 


down a stone which fell almost at his side. Alarmed by this 
the exhausted man cried out: ‘O Allah, thou dost not hasten 
to send food, but my soul thou wouldst have at once!’ At 
this his comrade began to laugh and gave him enough to 
eat and drink from the supplies carried by the camels. They 
luckily reached the Euphrates, crossed it, and remained all 
day on its right bank hidden in the thicket resting. While 
there they saw a large troop of the Sammar, who were out 
on a raid against the “Aneze, approaching the Euphrates. 
One half of them forded the river the same day, while the 
other remained on the left bank. Our hengel drew near the 
Sammar, whose mares had been left to graze among the bush- 
es, Stole two docile ones, and, mounting them, drove the cam- 
els before them into the desert, finally reaching their kin 
without further mishap.” 


“When we were camping in al-Hesijje with Sakr eben 
Mesreb, he once asked us, nabbah ‘aleyna, to go out on a raid 
with him. My brother, ‘A8w4n, the father of the lad, abu-l- 
‘ejal, who was driving our camels to the pasture grounds near 
al-Mlosi, was willing to go and so was-our younger brother, 
Gian. “Aswan already had a partner, but for Gi‘an we first 
had to find a camel rider who would carry both his food 
supply and the fodder for his mare. But, as Gian was still 
young and imprudent, gdhel, nobody would go with him ex- 
cept for a full half of everything he might capture with his 
mare, fiser. We tried to persuade Gi‘an to stay at home, but 
he refused; and so we had to promise to satisfy the camel 
rider, zeml, ourselves. Altogether there set off with Sakr 
about a hundred camel riders, ge7s, and about thirty horse- 
back riders, herwat taldtin hajjal. Sakr led them against the 
Rwala camping around Hdejb and Sweér. On the way they 
drank from the wells of Hzéran and Debadeb, from those dug 
in the channel of al-Obejjez, which are known by the name 
of Nhejb, from the similar ones, Gdejjedet ‘Ar‘ar, and finally 
from al-Hsej. Leaving this point they rode cautiously all night 
and all day till they saw herds in the vicinity of al-Wad‘a, a 
great rock lying north of Hdejb and Swér. Here they made 
a halt to wait for the heat to pass and the coolness of the day 
to set in, jowmen zallat al-Zd‘ila wa-bradat ad-dinja. Then they 
watered their mares from the water bags, selected the reserve 
camels, sabur, and loaded all the fodder and provisions on the 


654 RWALA BEDOUINS 


fatigued camels, afhakow al-gejs. Sakr gave orders for the 
latter to wait for him at the beginning of the Se%b of al- 
Helal all night and the next day. But in case he was not 
able to join them before sunset of the next day, they were 
to proceed to al-Barrit. These camels laden with water and 
food supplies departed for al-Helal, while the others with the 
horse riders attacked some herds approaching Swér. Sur- 
rounding them completely, jelhafiinaha, every rider whether 
on horseback or camel drove before him what he had captured. 
Gian and four youths imprudent as himself kept together, 
sar waghahom gamit, and captured a herd numbering over 
fifty head. Full of joy, they drove the animals before them, 
unmindful of either their comrades or the course they were 
to take. They ran all night and all the following forenoon 
without finding the beginning of al-Helal, the place appointed 
for meeting the supplies sent there by Sakr. At noon they 
knew each other no more, such was the thirst torturing 
them. At that moment an older member of the raid, razzdj, 
happened to pass there on his camel and saw them. Finding 
them perishing with thirst he said: 

‘I will save both you and your mares, but only if you 
promise to give me a colt for each mare and two camels be-- 
sides, hazize w-‘djde.’ 

“When they had promised, he let them drink from the 
remnants of water still in his pouch and then asked them 
to follow him. They rode until evening, they rode all night, 
and finally came across the tracks of their comrades leading 
from al-Helal to al-Barrit. But the mares, tormented by thirst, 
could go no farther. Then Gi‘An’s comrades mounted the best 
she-camels and, abandoning the booty as well as their own 
mares, sped after their guide in order to save their lives. 
Gian, however, exclaimed: 

‘By Allah, I will die first before I desert my mare!’ And 
taking the reins of the abandoned mares in his right hand he 
rode slowly in the tracks of his comrades. The heat of the 
day passed, the sun had already gone down in the west, and 
he was still in the saddle. At night he stuck to the course he 
had followed in the daytime. Seeing himself thus isolated, 
he was seized with a terrible fear. The torments caused by 
thirst became well-nigh unbearable, and he heard a buzzing 
in his ears, tasallah. After resting a little he rode on farther. 
Then he let the reins of the mares drop, twisted his hand 


WAR AND PEACE 655 


into the mane of his own mare, laid his head on her neck, 
and rode on as if asleep. When the dew had passed, he slid 
down from the saddle, spread his mantle over the perennials, 
and lay down under it. He thought he must surely die. But 
his mare licked his face, and this refreshed him a little. Ris- 
ing from the ground and mounting again, he wearily resumed 
his journey. The mare still carried him faithfully and finally 
brought him to the nearest water, the wells of al-Barrit, where 
she stopped. The wells were entirely deserted. Rolling down 
from the saddle, he crawled, rather than walked, to the near- 
est well. He saw water there but had neither rope nor bucket. 
He thought of throwing himself down the well, but this Allah 
did not permit. He fell asleep or fainted —he was not sure 
afterwards which —and remained lying beside the well. 

“In the meantime Sakr with all his booty was camping 
by the wells of al-Maémen, whither also the riders who had 
stopped at the beginning of al-Helal were now turning, be- 
cause the scouts sent by Sakr signaled to them not to touch 
al-Barrit. Neither did Gi‘an’s comrades, who followed in the 
tracks of these riders, stop at al-Barrit but joined the rest 
of the troop at al-Maémen. As soon as Sakr heard that Gian 
was missing, he at once hired some Slejb then camping at 
al-Macémen to take water with them and go in search of him. 
Finding his tracks, they followed them and before long came 
at al-Barrit to the place where he was lying unconscious. 
They opened his mouth and dropped melted butter down his 
throat until he began to swallow and regained consciousness, 
but it was nearly two days before he could sit in the saddle 
unaided. When they returned with him and the mares to al- 
Macmen they found nobody there, the raiders having left in 
the meantime with their booty for their home at al-Hegijje. 

“T began at once to look for Gi‘an, his mare, and spear 
but was told by ‘ASwan what had happened. The youth’s 
mother mourned bitterly, and we all thought that we should 
see him no more. A few days afterwards we migrated, our 
she-camels being in front. Suddenly a man who was exaniin- 
ing the neighborhood came running to me shouting at the 
top of his voice: ‘O Blejhan, hear glad news! Thy young 
brother is perfectly well!’ After a while I sighted two Slejb 
with my brother and the mares. The Slejb received five she- 
camels.” 


656 RWALA BEDOUINS 


“We were camping near the wells of Gibb when someone 
came to us, gana min gdna, with the news that he had sighted 
not far off a large troop of riders on camels. Jumping on our 
mares, we drove in the riding camels, saddled them, and went 
in the direction indicated. All we could see were five camel 
riders, but they were soon lost to our sight. We took them 
for scouts, sbur, and judged that the hostile troop had five 
commanders. Some thought we should return, but others were 
for going ahead. When, however, we were overtaken by the 
auxiliary troops of Hamad eben ‘Ejde and Zejdan ai ‘Awagi, 
we resolved to attack the enemy before they were likely to 
throw themselves on our herds. At night we succeeded in 
Surprising and surrounding them. They wounded two of our 
men, while we killed one of their leaders. We also held them 
surrounded till the dew had passed —they were in a basin 
and we on the height above them. Seeing that escape was im- 
possible, they begged for mercy, jesir al-man*. We took all 
their camels but allowed them to retain their arms, kept 
them as our guests for two days longer, and then lent them 
a few camels so that they could return home. They complained 
bitterly of their scouts, sbur, for having fled after sighting 
us without warning them, as this had enabled us to surprise 
and surround them. Every member of our expedition received 
four or five camels as his share.” 


“Once we camped in Irak near Bradan and al-‘Eséle. The 
world was full of pasture. Dry grass stood thickly around all 
the wells, and of the kazkdz there was abundance everywhere. 
After our herds had grazed in the neighborhood of the wells, 
we pitched our tents about a winter day’s march from them, 
manda. Then MaShtr eben MerSed proposed to us to go on 
a raid with him. Soon a troop of about three hundred riding 
camels and a hundred riders, wakm mdaje hajjal, were accom- 
panying him, first against az-Zefir. We drank at al-Losof, 
then from the ‘Aklat MeShen, and soon reached the level 
country, where we were surprised by the tra7jdwi rain. The 
low-lying land resembled a swamp, howr. Our camels could 
not make any headway there, and so we had to return with- 
out success, mendcif. But the Bdir, who usually encamped on 
the Euphrates, somehow learned where we were and without 
delay sent talab, pursuers, on camels after us. They overtook 
us, lahezowna, compelled us twice to make our camels kneel, 


WAR AND PEACE 657 


nawwahowna, and soon a fight began to rage—may Allah 
never bring any true friend of thine into such a fight! ‘asa 
siddiz kalbak ma jehdar hak al- mandh. At first shots were 
exchanged, then we fought with spears, and finally bare fists 
were used. We took all their riding camels, attacked their 
herds, and brought our booty away eral although they 
pursued us as far as the WAdi al- Obejjez. That year we still 
call the year of violence, senet rasbe, because we drove the 
captured herds to our camp by sheer force. The commander 
got thirty camels, the others five or six each.” 


“While camping by the river al-‘Asi between Homs and 
Hama’, Sakr asked us to undertake a raid with him. We set 
out, teak up fresh water in Ghar, and halted at the edge of 
the plain of ad-Daw to feed our horses. Riding all night, 
we reached in the morning the big dam below the watering 
place of al-Barde. When day broke Sakr surveyed the country 
around the wells with his glasses, but, seeing nothing, he 
nodded to us, and we had our breakfast there. After a short 
stop we resumed our ride and did not rest until between as- 
Sweéwine and the wells of al-Elejjanijje. From here we rode 
again till we saw Rurab al-Had4li appearing in the distance. 
After resting again, we reached first the low ridge on the 
right bank of al-Minkat and then Burku‘. There we lingered 
in the shade all day and until the following noon. Having 
watered both our horses and riding camels, ges, we did not 
lie down to sleep before reaching a gully between Tell Rsén 
and Tell Sa‘ada. Next day towards noon we found a water 
hole near al-‘“Abd w-Awladeh. 

“Taking a few riders with him, Sakr went up the western 
summit of al--Abd, whence he sighted with his glasses herds 
of camels grazing on the eastern slope of the Hawran. Re- 
turning he said: ‘May this good news gladden your hearts! 
Our booty is near!’ As soon as the morning star appeared, 
we began our march and did not stop till sunrise, when Sakr 
ascended a hill the better to observe the movements of the 
herds. The moment they left their camps, he gave the signal 
for attack. We surrounded and drove them before us with- 
out any effort, just as if we had been their herdsmen. They 
belonged to the Zeben kin of the Beni Sahr. We fled with 
the booty all day and all night, the rescuing troops of the 
Zeben not overtaking us until the day after, but we repulsed 


658 RWALA BEDOUINS 


them easily, even capturing ten mares in the encounter. We 
continued our flight. Suddenly we came across fresh tracks 
of horses and camels heading north towards the rain water 
reservoirs near the castle of Burku’. Not knowing whether 
it was a friend or an enemy who had passed before us, we 
should have preferred to steer clear of Burku‘, but at the 
same time we were in great need of water for ourselves and 
the horses. The scouts sent out to investigate returned with 
the report that a strange troop had watered at Burku‘ but 
had left again. Giving praise to Allah for that, we hastened 
to the water, drank ourselves, let the mares also drink, filled 
our water bags, watered the camels, and lay down to rest. 
But Allah willed otherwise. | 

“The strange troop returned and took us by surprise. 
They were the Hwétat, our enemies. They took all our cap- 
tured and even our own camels from us, but the majority of 
our mares we saved by timely flight. That night we wandered 
about the volcanic area. The next day we found a tiny camp 
of the Slejb, where we waited for our scattered comrades. On 
the third day we borrowed five she-camels and a number of 
asses of good breed, sihdra, of our Slejb hosts and proceeded 
on our way but immediately met with an Ahl al-Gebel raid- 
ing troop, returning from an expedition against the inhabi- 
tants of Tudmor, Tedamre. We scattered before :them like 
chaff in all directions, nesheghom sehge; however, as soon as 
they lay down for their night’s rest we crept to them silently, 
nencaleb ‘alejhom, fell upon them while asleep, and drove away 
sixty of their riding camels and nearly two hundred of those 
they had captured from the Tedaémre. And although they pur- 
sued us as far as al-Gwejf we succeeded in making our escape, 
were able to rest at al-Hufejjer, and from there reached al- 
Zerjitejn at the passing of the dew. There we divided our 
booty, and every one went home. We, that is to say the people, 
kowm, of Al Mesreb, learned that our tents were then at a&- 
Sumbul, east of Salamja.” 


“Qur camp was in the little Se%b of al-Magna which winds 
from Laha eastwards. It was known that Sakr was preparing 
for a new raid. Finally he sent us word: 

‘Let all who wish to go along come tomorrow at noon!’ 

“On the morning of the day fixed for the departure Sakr 
rode up the top of Laha, whence there was a wide view on 


WAR AND PEACE 659 


all sides, burrez beha. Surveying the country with his glasses 
he saw a troop of raiders to the west. Dispatching at once 
two sbur on camels to watch the strangers, he set out with 
his men to outflank them. In the evening his scouts returned 
with news that the raiders were Sirhan with whom his people, 
kowm sakr, were then living in a state of enmity. Dividing 
his troop into two parts, Sakr ordered one to attack the enemy 
in front and the other, which he led in person, from the rear. 
The stratagem Preceded — the Sirhan losing all their riding 
camels and half of their horses. Sakr himself captured a fine 
mare, which he sent home at once, as many of his men re- 
fused to continue the raid now when booty had been sent them 
by Allah. 

“With the rest Sakr rode to the borders of the volcanic 
territory, where, in a tiny valley, herwat al-henw, south of 
Abu Rasén, he found traces of a camp recently abandoned. 
And before long he also sighted with his glasses a few migrat- 
ing kins of the Weld ‘Ali and Rwala. Riding ahead of them 
with his troop, when it became dark, admas ad- dmds, he lay 
down for a good rest. In the morning he waited till the herds- 
men should drive out their herds and the Bedouins load the 
tents on camels. When this was done and the pack camels 
began to march, the signal for attack was given. Sakr him- 
self made for the herd belonging to Eben “Anejzan, while his 
comrades surrounded the herds of Abu Nawds and Cabbar. 
But Eben ‘Anejzan’s herdsman had a rifle. Catching sight of 
Sakr, he took aim, and Allah willed that his bullet should not 
miss. It hit the muzzle of Sakr’s rifle, which it shattered, and 
wounded our leader in the left hand, throwing him from the 
saddle. Praise be to Allah that He would not let the herds- 
man assail Sakr while in this condition but suggested to him 
to flee with his herd! Sakr, when falling, grasped the mane 
of his mare and after a moment got into the saddle again 
but was without a weapon, and the enemy’s riders were al- 
ready beginning to close upon him. Then we cried out to Allah: 
‘O Allah, help Sakr and Thou shalt receive an old she-camel! 
ja-llah besakr w-fdater lwaghak,’ Allah helped. Sakr got back 
among us, took a spear from a comrade, and encouraged us: 
‘If we show ourselves cowards, who will fight? low dallejna 
min jehus. | am the rider protecting al- Kawda. We shall be 
laughed at if we let fear conquer us; bar tam azg-zuhik low 
hifna.” And his spear caught a rider on a bay mare, but she 


660 RWALA BEDOUINS 


escaped. He captured fourteen camels himself, we four or five 
each and then returned home with good luck, nakefna la- 
halna.” 


“We camped with Sakr eben Mesreb in the Se‘ibdn of as- 
Swejbat where they join and form the valley of as-Swab, and 
undertook a raid with him against the Sammar in Mesopotamia. 
Crossing the Euphrates at al-Mijadin, we attacked them and 
returned home with the booty. But here sad news awaited us. 
Eben Mazi, the chief of the Al ‘Isa clan belonging to the Ahl 
al-Gebel, had surprised Saky’s people during our absence, had 
taken our herds, and even driven away all Sakr’s white camels. 
Sakr beat his face with his hand and shouted his war cry, 
entaha: ‘I am the rider protecting al-Kawda! By Allah him- 
self! May Allah deprive me of my wits, dmdri, should I ever 
forget my white camels and not deliver them from thy hands!’ 

“As there was no water in as-Swejbat at that time, we 
started for the settled territory, nurarreb, migrating east and 
camping with our relatives on the banks of the Euphrates near 
Kal‘at Ga‘bar and Abu Hrera, zowr abu hréra. There Sakr 
cried out: ‘We will go on a raid!’ All knew at once whither 
and against whom. Our animals numbered sixty mares and 
sixty camels, with 110 men in all to mount them. We drank 
ourselves and watered our animals from the wells of al-Gidd 
and then moved towards the volcanic territory. The Slejb told 
us that Eben Mazi was camping on its borders, near Manka‘ 
ar-Rahba. Finally Sakr sighted some herds, adbds, with his 
glasses and at once sent Sera‘i abu Hsejjen and RSejd eben 
Zeri, both on horseback, as ‘ujiin to ascertain where the Arabs 
were encamped. Bere long they reached some herds and 
stopped at the one which Eben Mazi had taken entire from 
Eben Hawi, the chief of the Sarar at, even with the leading she- 
camel, al-za‘ada. One herdsman came running up, then another, 
saluting the riders and looking them over. They did not rec- 
ognize the riders as the Kmusa, because both had put on 
light-weight black mantles, mezwi aswdd — or, as we call 
them, al-hacijje, such as are worn by the Semalat, inhabitants 
of the country around the Hawran. The herdsmen invited 
them: 

‘Dismount, riders! What tidings do ye carry in your 
saddles ?’ 


WAR AND PEACE 661 


‘We wish to buy camels, ehna wassdke. Tell us where to 
find those of ‘Abtan.’ 
“At that moment the herdsmen sighted Sakyr’s troop ap- 
pearing on the eastern horizon and gave the alarm crys alt: 
halt! Ye are bloody enemies; tremble! Ja‘ ja° entom al-kowm 
al-hamra’,’ and began to wave their kerchief as a signal for 
help from the camp, the tents of which looked in the distance 
like isolated knolls, al-hezdb. Serati now threw himself on 
“Abtan’s herd, Rkejd on ‘Enad’s, while their comrades, the 
raiders who had just arrived, surrounded all the herds, assailed 
the enemy’s riders, entered the camp, took the tents there, 
and started back with their booty. The troops which came to 
protect the herds were repulsed and the booty made safe. 
The captured white camels were divided between Mixref eben 
Hrejmis and Sakr 4l Mesreb, and we retired to our people on 
the Euphrates in peace.”’ 


CHAPTER XXII 
LAWS OF INHERITANCE 


No Bedouin may give away the property of his family 
either to strangers, or to his wife or even to his daughters. 
If he does so, his son or his nearest kinsman outside of his 
immediate family has the right to demand the return of the 
gifts. This right is called menn. As the saying has it: “Thou 
wilt give it to me, but thy son will take it away from me 
by the right of menn; ent te‘tini wa-bnak jemennah minni.” 
It is not necessary to demand the gifts back at once; that 
may be done later, even after some years have elapsed. The 
witnesses summoned will testify that the claimant’s father 
gave away certain property, and the receiver must return 
everything plus any increase which the gift has brought in 
the meantime. If, for example, he received a she-camel ten 
years ago, he is bound to return not only the old animal, but 
all her offspring. If, again, he has given or sold the she-camel 
to somebody else, suitable compensation is fixed. Only in cases 
when the gift was made by some member of the Eben Gandal 
or Eben Rubejn kin, ‘ata’ gandalijje or rubejnijje, will the menn 
lose its validity. No Rwejli could explain to me the reason of 
this custom, but all maintained that it had been the practice 
since time immemorial. To give an instance: Fajez eben Gandal 
once returned from a raid of which he was a commander, 
‘azid, with rich booty. One of his warriors, Halaf al-Flejhi, 
captured four camels, males, zwdmel, which were to go to 
Fajez, as, according to the Bedouin law, every captured he- 
camel belongs to the leader. However, as this particular raid 
was not made on the basis of sharing the booty, rejr hiser, 
but everybody was to keep what he had captured, Halaf would 
have received nothing at all. He therefore went to Fajez’s 
tent and entered the part reserved for the women, where the 
wife of Fajez, Felga, was suckling her two-year-old baby son, 
Ged‘an. Halaf stroked him caressingly and begged her help: 

“O Felga,” he said, “put in a kind word for me and make 
the baby, ‘aj7el, say: ‘I give those zwadmel to Halaf.’”’ 

When Felga obligingly repeated his words, Ged‘an said: 
“I give Halaf the zwdmel.” 

662 


LAWS OF INHERITANCE 663 


Filled with joy, Halaf rode to his tent, branded the camels 
with his mark, and let them be driven to pasture. But soon 
afterwards Fajez, ignorant of Halaf’s stratagem, sent a slave 
to demand the animals. Halaf, of course, sent back the answer: 

“The zwdmel are mine. Eben Gandal gave them to me.” 

The slave asked: “Which Eben Gandal?” 

“Ged‘an eben Candal.” 

On hearing the message, FAajez inquired of his wife and, 
learning what had happened in his absence, let Halaf have 
the camels with the words: “A gift of Eben Candal knows 
no menn.”’ 

A camel presented by a man to his divorced wife belongs, 
with all her calves, to the divorcee exclusively. Neither the 
husband’s nor her own kin can lay any claim to her. She can 
give or sell the camel to whomsoever she wishes and spend 
the money received for it without being responsible to any- 
body, for she is the sole owner of that property, ma leha Sserié 
all-allah. 

When a Rwejli dies, leaving a widow with a baby daughter, 
his kin takes his tent as well as his camels. The widow goes 
back with her daughter to her own kin. From the price that 
had been paid for her she gets a she-camel, ba‘ir, which also 
belongs to her only. The little daughter remains with her till 
she grows up, returning then to her father’s kin. 

If a Rwejli leaves two widows with little boys, his prop- 
erty is divided temporarily between both widows to enable 
them to bring up the boys. At the sons’ maturity the estate 
is divided among them according to law, i. e. the first-born 
is given one camel more than his brothers. This male or female 
camel is called nefel. The tent and the saber belong, as is the 
Arab custom, tardjez al-arab, to the youngest. The gift, ne- 
hile, which the boy receives on his circumcision is his own 
property, which he shares with nobody. 

A short time ago a Rwejli died leaving two widows, each 
of whom was suckling a baby boy. Halaf al Iden, who became 
their guardian, wdsi, gave one widow both the tent and all 
the camels, letting the other go empty-handed with her boy 
to her kin. When the latter complained of this high-handed 
action to Prince an-Niri, he ordered the estate to be divided - 
between them equally, as required by the Bedouin law, tardy ez 
al-“arab. 

If after the father’s death his sons also die, the widow’s 


664 RWALA BEDOUINS 


share of her husband’s property is three she-camels, so called 
nezile (pl., nezajel), that is, the first as the price of her womb, 
hakk batnaha, in which she carried her sons; the second as the 
price of her breasts, hakk dajdaha; and the third as the price 
of her hip, on which she lay while suckling them, hakk mat- 
naha. Besides these she takes a fourth camel as the price of 
her husband, whom she served till his death. When this widow 
dies, the fourth camel, hakk rukubatha, is inherited by her 
kin while the first three, nezajel, fall to the kin of her late 
husband. 

When a man dies leaving only married daughters, each 
of them is entitled to: two she-camels out of the estate, one 
on account of the dowry, sij7dk, which was paid for her, and 
the other in remembrance of the father. 

The right of inheritance, hakk al-warta, is vested in sons 
alone. The eldest selects first two she-camels called mhawwa 
w-haziza, then the others take one each, then the eldest son 
takes another camel, and so on until all the camels are divided. 
The mare, too, goes to the eldest; its first filly to the second; 
its second to the third; while the fourth son will get the filly 
of that which went to the second. The tent itself belongs to 
the youngest brother, its whole internal equipment to the 
eldest. Every daughter is given two she-camels, wdrda w- 
sadera, going for water and returning with it, or haliba w- 
rakuba, milking and riding. | 

In case the sons will not divide the estate but use it in 
common, elja’ tahdsarow, the eldest offers a dabiht al-hiser, 
common sacrifice. 

When an uncle on the father’s side dies without male 
issue, all that he leaves belongs to his nephews. If the eldest 
of them rides his uncle’s mare on raids and captures horses 
or camels, he must not keep them. The mare was owned by 
the uncle, and to his estate belongs the booty, in which, there- 
fore, all the nephews share. Should they divide the estate 
among themselves but after some time agree to administer 
it in common, the eldest immolates a dabiht al-hiser, common 
sacrifice. He also offers a sacrifice on the day of commemo- 
ration for all who have departed that year. 

A married woman may have her own estate. This comes 
either from her kin or her husband’s or from her savings. 
All that she has bought from her savings she can sell at will, 
but, as to her other property, she must be directed by the will 


LAWS OF INHERITANCE 665 


of her husband or her ahi. After her death her son inherits 
all that came from her kin, the rest goes to her husband. 

A father can leave his property to his daughters if he 
has no son, but he must appoint a guardian for them, who 
is also called father. This is done with the words: “Behold, 
I exclude the flesh and blood from which I descend. Thee I 
appoint to be the father of my daughter (or daughters). My 
whole estate I present to my daughter. My relatives of the 
flesh and blood from which I descend must take nothing from 
her. Thou wilt see to it. But on the commemoration day of 
all faithful departed, zahijje, my daughter should not forget 
me.” In case this daughter marries, her property is inherited 
by her son, or, if there is no son, by her ahl; her husband 
can claim nothing. 

The right of inheritance belongs to all relatives up to 
the ninth degree, rd‘ tis‘a gdtid jaret. In the absence of law- 
ful heirs, that is if the kin has entirely died out, temési 
‘alejhom ad-dinja? ma jezall kid al-hurma, the woman most 
nearly related to it receives whatever estate is left and is 
bound to a sacrifice on the zahijje day. 


Jad wanneti wannet jetim 
‘okb al-rala’ ‘ammeh walah 
jasth w-jowmi bes-selil 
w-jakil wali min haja’. 


This is the lament of an orphan 

Who, having lost his father, receives orders from an uncle. 
He gives the alarm cry, waves the hem of his cloak, 
And says to himself: ‘Vanish from life.’ 


Al-rala’ is a father who appointed a brother of his to 
be the guardian of his son. The orphan, dissatisfied with his 
guardian, sights the enemy. Giving the alarm cry, he waves 
his mantle in the direction of the approaching danger and 
encourages himself, nesmeh or nafseh, to resist the enemy 
even at the risk of losing his life. In the latter event, at least, 
his mourning for the loss of a dear father would cease. 


CHAPTER XXIII 
DEATH AND AFTER DEATH 


DISEASES AND WOUNDS 


Few Rwala reach a very old age. More than four-fifths 
of the men either fall in war or perish in consequence of 
wounds received, while the women die mostly when suckling 
their babies. Such women as survive this period generally 
grow to be very old. From diseases the Rwala suffer chiefly 
in the months of July and August, when they camp in the 
neighborhood of Damascus, in al-Rita, Gowlan, al-Mzérib, and 
Kerajat al-Meleh (the vicinity of Etra and Caf ). Kerajat al- 
Meleh are notorious for their ague, hemma, and malaria, 
shine; in al-Giba the flies are a real pest; likewise the strong 
winds which blow there all the time, whirling up the fine 
sand and dust, are very injurious to the eyes. All these dis- 
tricts are called bilad mdbijje by the Rwala, who therefore 
prefer to camp in either the Neftd or al-Hamad, where the 
atmosphere is both clear and salubrious, bildd ‘adij7e. 

The following are the diseases most universally known. 

Hubta: pains in the spine and the head combined with 
a strong fever. The patient wants to lie only on the flat of 
his back. For a cure he is burnt with a red-hot iron about 
the head and temples. This occurs most frequently in winter. 

Gederi: smallpox. Treated with red clay diluted in water, 
which is then poured into the patient’s eyes. This disease 
breaks out towards the end of the sferi season (October— 
December ). 

Sarba: pains in the stomach combined with fever and 
endless thirst. Its cure: the root of the nose is cut through 
so that it bleeds profusely, and the shoulders are burnt all 
over. Sometimes a thick thread is pulled through the skin 
of the shoulder and left there until the wound suppurates. 
The disease appears in winter, especially after one drinks cold 
water. 

Mwalije: pains in the intestines, accompanied by swell- 
ing; also the abdomen hardens. It is treated by laxatives; 


666 


DEATH AND AFTER DEATH 667 


appears mostly in summer, eating of meat being most fre- 
quently the cause. 

Hemma: ague. The cure: burning about the neck. Appears 
in midsummer. 

Shine: a violent fever; lasts two or three days, ceases 
for a while, and reappears in the months of July, August, and 
September. The cure: drinking tamarind water. 

Heben: ulcers. They are treated with poultices of the 
haltita and mbdraka drugs till the pus flows out. 

Sotob: hemorrhoids. The cure: a piece of clay is kneaded, 
shaped like a large nail, allowed to dry, burned to a white 
heat, and then inserted into the rectum in order to burn out 
the hemorrhoids. 

Rih: rheumatic pains, especially in the sferi season 
(October—December). The afflicted limb is burnt for a cure. 

Kamad: diseases of the eye. The cure: kost al-eht or 
katra and twejtijjdn drugs are bought, crushed, mixed with 
woman’s milk, and applied to the eye. 

Aba zhejr: pains in the small of the back compelling the 
afflicted person to walk with a stoop. It is treated with 
burning about the small of the back. 

Sdbe*: chronic fever combined with headache; otherwise 
the patient feels well but has no appetite, grows thin and 
weak, and finally dies. This is treated by burning from the 
nape of the neck across the top of the head down to the nose. 

Hubejge: measles. The cure: dates mixed with pepper 
and butter warmed up and given the patient to eat. Occurs 
mostly in winter. 

‘Akankas: eruption on parts of the body, with itching 
of the skin. This is treated by drinking the hebbhdr and tim 
drugs in milk. It occurs in the months of J anuary and February. 

“Ankud: a severe cough accompanied by vomiting, 7ag- 
def. As a cure the sick man drinks asses’ milk. Occurs mostly 
in winter. 

Aba wagh: stiffness of some part of the face. As a cure 
they burn the corners of the mouth and stick three lead balls 
under the skin of the part of the face affected, which is then 
covered with a red cloth. 

Lweéref: venereal disease. Cured by inhaling the smoke of 
some drug strewn over hot coals. It is very rare among the 
Rwala. 

On falling sick a Rwejli instantly ties into his hair or 


668 RWALA BEDOUINS 


to his head rope some red or green thread as a preventive, 
hegab, against pain. If he gets worse and the home remedies 
will no longer suffice, his relatives send for a seer, sdéheb as- . 
sirr, entreating him to come and help the patient. A she-camel 
is promised to Allah as a sacrifice for restoring health to 
their sick relative in these words: “O thou face of Allah, if 
thou curest this man and liberatest him from the captivity 
of his disease, I will give thee this she-camel in sacrifice; 
ja wagh allah in tajjebt hal-walad w-fakkejteh min hal-maraz 
ilak hal-gezir.” 

Fractures are healed by a Bedouin versed in the art. He 
sets the broken bone, ‘lays the limb between narrow boards, 
and then packs it round with dough made of barley flour, 
salt, and eggs, or lacking these of tragacanth, helbe. This 
composition hardens like rock. After the expiration of twenty- 
five days the bandage is loosened but it is not removed until 
after forty days. During that time the patient must not eat 
anything sweet and is fed on meat only, or, if that cannot be 
had, on milk. 

A small wound is called swdb, a large one gurh. The 
wounded man, sawib, is assigned a separate corner in the tent 
always on the windward side, so that no bad odor can reach 
him. Any scent, riha, opens the wound anew, increasing the 
pain and swelling, tirfer or tizerr. Harmless are the odors 
of tar, kutran, and the drugs of hantita, gawelijje, ebhel, seed, 
hawagawwa, ‘ud al-hawa, damm al-ehwén, the smoke from 
the camel manure, gelle, tobacco smoke, and sulphur. The 
wounded person stops his nose with the kejtardan or hantita 
drug as a protection against injurious odors. Also he must 
deny himself sweet dishes, which according to the local belief 
would cause the wound to fester, jiddi, still more. At first 
soap is applied to the wound, later the subi drug. The urine 
of little children, bowl al-wurddn, is used in cleaning wounds. 
As the wound could not heal if reached by the light of stars, 
the couch of the wounded person is curtained on all sides by 
clothing and carpets, and he must not leave it even to satisfy 
his natural wants. If it is intended to camp in the same place 
for some length of time, a separate small tent is put up for 
the patient, closed on all sides, hegra, and at some distance 
from the camp. Visitors sit round the tent and converse with 
him, but no one will go inside except his nearest relative. For 
there might be a visitor who, having just had sexual inter- 


DEATH AND AFTER DEATH 669 


course, has not yet washed himself, and such an unclean one, 
neges, would make the wound still worse, mustarfer. The visitor 
salutes with the words: “May thy evil disappear! 7izdl Sarrak.” 
Or: “May it disappear and not come over thee any more! 7izul 
w-la jigik.’ To avoid informing the patient that he looks ill, 
and thus frightening him, the visitor says: “It seems to me 
thou hast a healthy color, perhaps nothing ails thee,” the 
patient’s reply usually being: “By Allah himself, nothing is 
the matter with me, merely so and so.” 

If the patient gets worse, nobody must mourn. “We have 
a soul, and he has a soul obeying Allah, matana nesem w- 
ma‘eh nesem tahat allah.” The patient gets worse every Wednes- 
day and Friday, for these are the heavy days, jowm at-takil, for 
him. Likewise every sixth, sixteenth, and twenty-first day of 
the lunar month aggravates the condition of the patient and 
spreads the news of his illness, mubajjeh al-habar. 

A demoniac is called mharfal. As such they consider the 
imbecile, the demented, and the insane. If he does not get well 
soon, he is fettered and allowed to perish of thirst. 

If a mad dog, ¢alb mralit, bites, jvazz, a man, sulphur 
is applied to the wound, which is then burned with a red-hot 
nail. After forty days the injured person generally is stricken 
with rabies. Then they fetter him and throw hot ashes on his 
head until he dies. 

In the case of a snake bite the soothsayer, karraj, is sent 
for and cures the bitten man with his spittle. The karraj 
learns this art from a member of the Rifatijje Order at an- 
Nukra in the neighborhood of Damascus, paying one quarter 
of a megidijje (22.5 cents) for tuition. No snake can harm 
a karraj. 

Bites of scorpions and poisonous spiders are cured by 
wrapping the wounded limb in a raw skin or by laying the 
patient in an oblong pithole, the bottom of which is covered 
with camel manure thrown over camel urine, ‘abas al-bel. Then, 
covering the patient up to his head with clay or sand, they 
build a small fire at his side to make him sweat thoroughly. 
But to prevent him from falling asleep they shout at him: 
“OQ thou who has been bitten by an ‘ankabiit spider, wilt thou 
live or wilt thou die?” He must answer: “I shall live, I shall 
live, not die.”’ 

A person seriously ill appoints a guardian for his young 
children with the words: “‘O So-and-So, I do not know what 


670 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Allah will write to me, therefore, behold, I put my children 
and my estate like the ring of a turtle dove’s neck from my 
neck on thy neck. In the high station [before Allah] I shall 
inquire of thee about them. Jé fldn ana méd-dri was alléh 
jaktob ‘alejjt mar tara ‘ejali w-haldli towk hamdmaten min 
rukubti birkubtak anSedk ‘anhom bel-mékez al-azim.” 

The answer will be: “I shall take thy place. May Allah 
have mercy on thee! Ana lak bel-makén alléh jarhamk.” 

In the absence of him whom he would like to appoint as 
guardian the sick man will declare before one or two men: 
“O ye, X and Y, I ask you to witness that I put my children 
on the neck of So-and-So.” 

In the majority of cases the sick man prefers to appoint 
a faithful slave to the guardianship. Sometimes he also names 
the camels which are to go to one or other of his children 
and what she-camel he wishes to be sacrificed for him. However, 
any of his stipulations may be annulled by his first-born son. 
Neither the father nor the mother give their children any 
last advice. 


DEATH 


Water is dropped into a dying person’s mouth without 
any words. They do not close the eyes of the dead, nor stop 
his nostrils, dead bodies being carefully avoided by the Rwala. 
If they camp near a settlement, or some felldhin happen to 
be with them at the time, they hire them to bury the dead. 
Rubbing the body over with a wet cloth, they wrap it in its 
shirt, or when that is torn they lay it on a piece of white 
linen, cover it with the same material, then sew both pieces 
in three places, load the body thus enshrouded on a mule, and 
carry it to the grave. This must be deeper for a woman than 
for a man. Its depth for a woman must be such that even 
the breast could not be seen if the body were placed upright; 
for the man its depth is only to his knees when in a standing 
posture. A stone is put under the head and the body is laid 
invariably with its right side downwards and facing south. 
Covering it then with a few stones they shovel in the ex- 
cavated earth. For a man two stones, nasdjeb, are raised above 
the grave, one for a woman. One and a half megidijje ($ 1.35) 
is paid to the grave-digger for this work. In the inner desert 
a grave about twenty to twenty-five centimeters deep is dug 


DEATH AND AFTER DEATH 671 


anywhere, the body wrapped in its cloak, ‘aba, laid into it on 
its right side and facing south; then all is covered with stones 
or earth. 

In the desert a man’s body is never accompanied to the 
grave by a woman, and a woman’s body is buried by women 
alone. The whole funeral procession consists of no more than 
two, at the most four people. The body is carried either on 
two staves or two ropes. Neither the staves, nor the ropes, 
nor even the handle of the mattock used in digging the grave 
may be brought into the tent, such is the fear of everything 
that has come into contact with the dead body. If there is 
water enough, it is poured over the grave so that the dead 
may not suffer from thirst. 

No one mourns for the dead except his mother, wife, sister, 
or daughter. In the tent they may utter, quietly, only one cry, 
then they go outside the camp, lament twice more, tear their 
dress at the breast, scratch their faces, jerarresen wugih, throw 
dust all over themselves, jetkawwahen bet-trdb, wind a white 
band, ‘asdba béza, around their forehead, weep, and then return 
to the camp. Only the sister and daughter may cut off their 
hair, yekussen rdshen, which they either hang over or lay on 
the grave. There is no other mourning. The white band is worn 
by the women until the third night, or to the next ag-zahij7e 
holiday. For three nights in succession no salutation is offered 
to the dead person’s next of kin. It is said of them: 

“So-and-So is not in a good temper, his father (brother 
or cousin) is dead; hdtreh md hw tajjeb majjiten abtih walla? 
ahth walla? eben ‘ammeh.” 

They try to console him with the words: “O So-and-So, 
this has come from Allah; it happens not to thee alone but 
to all people. May Allah replace him who has passed away! Jd 
flan has-si min allédh md hw ‘alejk ente wahed mdr ‘ala-n- 
nas killehom allah je‘awwez ma rah.” 

His answer is: “What can I do? Allah is omnipotent. 
Wusu bidi allah akwa’.” 

Towards the evening of the third day a hbdta sacrifice 
is prepared for the dead; either a camel or (if it can be bought) 
a sheep or goat is tied to the Spot where he died, or simply 
bread is baked. The animal is killed with the accompanying 
words: “O Allah, this is the hbdta of So-and-So.” The flesh 
is cooked and the bread baked on the spot where he died, 
but outside the tent, which on this occasion is removed, its 


672 RWALA BEDOUINS 


rear wall taken off and the ropes loosened, so that it looks 
as if it would fall down. Not before the morning following 
the hbdata sacrifice will the rear wall be hung up again and 
the ropes tightened. Nobody is invited to the supper given 
after the sacrifice. Whoever wishes, comes and eats. The meat 
from the sacrificed animal, the bread baked, and everything 
prepared for the hbdta, must be eaten outside the tent. Noth- 
ing connected with this sacrificial meat must be carried inside, 
not even the utensils used. For those fallen in war or murdered 
the hbata is held in the night from Wednesday to Thursday 
or from Thursday to Friday. 

At the next az-zahijje holiday the nearest relative of the 
dead man saddles a fat, healthy she-camel (never a he-camel), 
and puts on her a traveling bag, mezhebe, with flour, fire 
flint, a leather pouch full of milk, semil, a leather bag with 
water, and some other trifles. If a woman has died, he saddles 
the camel with a pack saddle, heddge, puts on some kind of 
carpet, a female dress, and for the rest the same supplies 
as in the case of a man’s death. In front of his tent, seizing 
the head of the camel, he announces to the dead person: 

“OQ So-and-So, come here and behold thy zahi7e; ja flan 
dunak zahijjetk or 7a flane duneé zahijjeteé.” 

Repeating this three times, he kills the animal, sprinkles 
her blood toward all four quarters of the world, rubs the flesh 
with salt, and either gives it away or cooks it outside the 
tent. All that the camel wore, her hide and flesh, etc., belongs 
to the dead person. By right all these things should be given 
away, but it is also possible to borrow them from the deceased, 
just as the knife used in killing the camel, the kettle in which 
the flesh was boiled, and the sahn or platter on which the 
cooked meat was piled are borrowed. 

On the third day after the zgahijzje they take a small piece 
of the fat or tallow from the sacrificed she-camel, melt it, 
and pour it over ‘e7§ meal. The next of kin then takes a bit of 
the dish in three fingers, carries it to the three stones on 
which the kettle used for boiling the flesh is still standing, 
and besmears them with ‘e7s, saying: “With this I wish to 
cool the fire burning So-and-So, hada brid an-nar ‘an flan.” 
The rest of the ‘e7S he wipes off his fingers into the fire. 

If the relatives happen to camp again near the grave of 
the dead person before the zahijje day, they prepare a supper 
for him, ‘asa-l-majjet, buying either a sheep or a goat, dbiha, 


DEATH AND AFTER DEATH 673 


which they kill with the words: “O Allah, this is the supper 
of our deceased.” Or they take a small piece of bread and 
a bit of butter, throw and drop them into the fire, and say: 
“OQ Allah, this belongs to our dead.” 

He who passes by the burial place of a person dear to 
him can do him much good if, taking a pebble from his grave, 
he says: “I take this in order to lighten the soul of So-and- 
So. May Allah have mercy on him. An-dhed hdda muhaffefen— 
‘an ruh fldn allah jarhameh.” 

That which keeps life in both man and beast is called 
nefes, nesem, or rih. The nefes (or nesem) of both the man and 
the animal is alike, waéhed. Whether the nesem of an animal 
ever dies is known to Allah alone, yet, in all probability, not 
even an animal will die completely but will go with the man 
either to paradise or to hell, because animals live merely for 
man. The nefes, nesem, or ruh are put into the man as well 
as into the animal by Allah. As long as the child lies in 
its mother’s womb, it has no nefes, but the moment its head 
comes out at birth, Allah opens its nostrils, jeftah allah hstimeh 
or mandhereh, and puts the nefes into its body, 7edhel an-nesem 
beh. This nesem had never before been in any other living be- 
ing, for Allah creates an entirely new nesem in every case. 

Mindil al-Kat%i told me that every living man has a soul, 
nesem. If there were no soul, he would not live. The soul 
cannot be seen but can be heard, being identical with the 
breath, ar-ruih hw an-nesem. The soul of the first man was 
breathed by Allah into the nostrils, hence the human soul 
originates from Allah’s breath. This original soul exists in 
human beings to this day, because Allah not only did not 
take it away from them but is still augmenting it. When a 
child is born, it receives the nesem from its mother, to whom 
Allah adds from his own breath every time she conceives. 
The nesem dwells in the man’s inside, beéabdeh wa-bsadreh. 
On the man’s death the soul leaves his body through the 
nostrils, returns to Allah, and waits till another mother con- 
ceives a man, ins, when Allah will add the waiting soul to 
that of the mother. 

As long as there is a nesem in the man, he lives, zl 
nesemeh beh hajj, but when it leaves his body, he dies. The 
nesem departs through his nostrils, jetla’ min al-manhar. 
After his death the deceased is suspended in the air above 
his grave, head upwards. His nesem floats over his head. 


674 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Thus it remains till the hbdta sacrifice has been brought, 
after which the body takes its place in the grave and the 
nesem departs, no one knows where. 

After the zgahijje sacrifice Allah weighs both the good 
deeds, hasanateh, and the sins of the deceased, sajdteh radijje. 
Allah punishes sins: az-zena, which means sexual intercourse 
with a girl betrothed to another or with another’s wife, for 
that is a betrayal, bowk, of persons to whom the females 
belong; al-howne, the robbery of a guest or companion who 
has trusted one while on the road; dabh az-zelema, killing 
of a man not subject to the blood feud or of an enemy who 
did not attack one; az-zelime, false testimony under oath 
before the court. These four sins alone are punished by 
Allah both in this world and hereafter. In this world he 
punishes by disease, by sending robbers against the sinner’s 
estate; by taking away his sons, or by having him murdered. 
In weighing these sins and good deeds, the weight of the 
hbadta and zahijj7e sacrifices is added; also of the kettle in 
which the flesh was cooked; of the three stones, hawddi, sup- 
porting the kettle; of all the utensils used in preparing the 
supper; of the fuel, as well as of everything that was laden 
on the she-camel sacrificed on the holiday of the commem- 
oration of all departed, az-zahijje. The Rwejli is certain that, 
as far as he is concerned, the scales will always dip in his 
favor and that he will enter paradise intact with both his 
body and his soul, nesem. He that falls in war needs neither 
the hbdta nor the zahij7e, for all his sins were washed off 
with his blood. A murdered man, too, goes directly to para- 
dise, because his sins fall on the head of the murderer, unless 
the latter was destined by Allah to punish the murdered man 
for his sins. 


HELL AND PARADISE 


Paradise is somewhere below ground. There it rains regu- 
larly, there is always rabi‘, abundance, good pasture, hejr, and 
there also the moon shines all the time. In paradise all the 
Rwala live together, are young, and never grow older. They 
can marry there and have grown children at once. Every 
one has a big tent, big herds, and many children. They raid 
hostile tribes which have been condemned to hell, where all 
enemies of the Rwala are sent. 


DEATH AND AFTER DEATH 675 


Hell is situated either on the sun or in some other place 
above the earth. There the sun scorches by day and night, 
rains are very rare, the breeding of camels meets with no 
success, the soil has to be irrigated artificially — and the 
Bedouins there must work long and hard. They serve the 
fellahin, have to obey the government, are conscripted, per- 
form military duty, and Allah himself knows all their tor- 
ments. Some call hell dalfadt and think that in that place 
neither the moon nor the stars ever shine. 

Allah dwells in both paradise and hell. He is omnipresent, 
hears and sees everything, but is himself invisible. With Allah’s 
permission even the dead may leave either paradise or hell and 
visit their kin, to whom they appear in dreams. 

In the belief of the Bedouins and the Slejb there is some- 
where far beyond the horizon a tall moutain on each side of 
the earth. One half of each mountain rests on terra firma, 
the other half in the sea, into which it sinks abruptly, while 
towards the land it sends out a sharp spur called hasm. These 
four mountains carry the whole firmament. During the rainy 
season the spirits and even Allah himself prefer to dwell near 
the southern mountain, which the Arabs eall as-Serk, as it is 
supposed to be situated in the inner desert. In summer, how- 
ever, Allah moves with all the spirits to the northern moun- 
tain, jerarrebow. 


CHA rs Rox xy 
TERMS APPLIED TO PHYSIOGRAPHIC FEATURES 


The Rwala tribe camps in northern Arabia between lati- 
tude 28° and 34° north and longitude 36° and 42° east. For 
the various topographical features of this area the tribe has 
strictly defined terms, of which we noted the following: 


“Abd: black cone 

Abrak: dark rock partly covered with reddish sand 

‘Ada’: both dead and live bushes, grasses, excrements, clay, 
coarse sand, and any débris brought down by a torrent 

‘Adra: pastures defiled by the excrements of countless herds 

‘Ajarat or ‘ejdrdt: huge, flat-topped elevations 

‘Akla: a well by a channel or in a valley, which caves in 
after heavy rains and has to be restored 

‘Akula: a rather small, low depression in a plain, where the 
rain water gathers 

“Alame (pl., ‘aldmdt): landmark 

‘Amijja: the pear-shaped hollow of a mokr rain well 

‘Anza (dimin., “unejza): a long flat-topped hillock rising from 
a plain 

“Arejz: a long arm of a sand desert 

‘Arga (pl., ‘argat): a turn of a valley or gully 

‘Arkub: a slope; steep rocky hillside 

‘Asama: scorched tract of land without pasture or water 

Asba‘a (pl., asdbe): “fingers,” a row of low isolated cones 


Balsa: soil from which the rain water runs off quickly 

Bararit: desolate, waterless regions; camel paths across such 
regions 

Barbak: a small artificial rain pond 

Barhus: movable sharp ridge of sand dunes or drifts, bare 
of vegetation 

Barrade (pl., bardrid): a path trodden out by camels between 
stones or gravel 

Baten: broad and deep valley without any channel 

Batha (pl., bathdt): a shallow river bed 

Batin (pl., butndn): a low hillside, slope, base 

676 


PHYSIOGRAPHIC FEATURES 677 


Batn: long depression bordered on one side by a high slope 

Bed*: abundant or large spring 

Bejadha: a plateau giving a wide view 

Berka’ (pl., burk): a rocky hill partly covered by sand 

Bilad ‘adijje: the salubrious districts of an-Nefid and al-Hamad 

Bildd mabijje: the unhealthful districts of al-Rita, Gowlan, al- 
Mzérib, Kerajat al-Meleh, and al-Giba 

Bir (pl., bijdr): a well in general; well with spring water 

Bura: a narrow, deep ditch 

Burréz: rock salt; also mica 


Cettdn: a rock or stone which falls to pieces, crumbles 


Dabbe: a rough ridge of flat-topped hillocks 

Dahl (pl., duhiil): a long, subterranean cavern where water 
bubbles out, doline 

Daww: a vast, elongated, level plain enclosed by two mountain 
chains 

Demluy: an isolated, blunted butte in a wide plain 

Derwa: a sharp summit 

Dire: the Bedouins’ term for a settled territory where they 
get their supplies and the inhabitants of which pay them 
tribute 


‘bb (pl., “ebub): a shallow dale, gully, bay 

‘Edd: a perpetual spring well 

‘idwe (pl., “edwat): low place in a sowh valley incapable of 
holding rain water and therefore suitable for pitching 
tents 

Hksds: a mixture of large stones and gravel 

‘Eleb (pl., “elebdn): an isolated table-topped hillock 

‘Klejm (pl., ‘aldjem): an isolated elongated hill rising from 
a plain 

‘rf: isolated hill, visible from afar 

‘Ernin (pl., ‘aran or ‘ardnin): channel of a torrent; channel 
in a steep hillside 

‘Hrz (pl., ‘urtik): long spur of sand 


Fag (pl. figan): a wide rocky hollow 

Far® (pl., fri‘): the starting-point of a gully or valley; a 
branch gully of a side valley 

Farag: a spacious area where no danger threatens the Bedouin 

Farse (pl., frus): a funnel-like pit in the sand 


678 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Fazr (dimin., fzér): a crevice in clay soil where the rain 
water accumulates; a narrow, deep channel 

Fegg: a hollow of some width between two hills, with a road 
running through it 

Fejza (pl. fi7dz): a fertile depression 

Fekara: stony table-land 

Felk (pl., fluk): an elongated sand dune 


Gdbija: a shallow pit in the earth into which water for cam- 
els is poured 

Gddde (pl., gwadd or gwad): path trodden out by camels in 
the flat desert 

Gal (pl., gilan): the bank of a river channel; the slope of a 

gully or valley; a long, steep escarpment by which a 

_ plateau falls off to a lower level 

Gam‘: rain water 

Gaww or gaw: a basin or valley with spring wells having 
water enough to supply big camps 

Geba’: an open cistern 

Gebb (pl., gbebe or gebab): a deep rain well or cistern, wider 
at the bottom than at the top 

Gebw: a natural hole in a rocky plain, as much as two meters 
deep, where rain water accumulates. Sometimes it can 
be covered with a big stone 

Gelad: a rocky desert 

Gelibe: a low, flat- -topped elevation 

Gemede (pl., gemed): the stony foot of a gal 

Ger*: a region covered with white or gray sand, where noth- 
ing will grow 

Ghara’: a desolate plain 

Gilf: a steep, narrow, rough ridge 

Giba (pl., gubat): a deep valley; a basin in a plain 

Gubb: an artificial well-with spring water 

Gufra (pl., gfar or gafar): low ground in a plain, where rain 
water gathers 

Gurf: a crevice; steep river bank 


Habdara’: mouse holes 

Habb (pl., hbub): long, narrow strip of rocky land bordered 
by sand dunes 

Habée: narrow, elongated depression as much as three meters 
wide and filled with rain water 


PHYSIOGRAPHIC FEATURES 679 


Habije: a rain water hole 

Habir: stony hollow forming a passage between long sand dunes 

Habl (pl. hbal): a narrow long sand drift 

Habra (pl., habdri): a large or small depression in a plain in 
which the rain water gathers 

Habt: a basin covered with gravel and sand, where small 
ponds are sometimes formed by rain water which can- 
not run off 

Hadak: a round hole in either clayey or stony, but soft, soil 
into which water runs 

Hadlul (pl., haddlil): shallow valley without a visible channel 

Hala’: voleano 

Hala’: a region where the camels will find no sustenance in 
any particular year; all that lies beyond the camp 

Halat: an area covered with basalt or lava, through which 
neither horse nor man can move except by a few very 
narrow paths 

Halize: an artificial, subterranean hollow; a cave 

Halk al-zelib: the opening of a well 

Hall: a path or trail through the sand 

Hamad: a barren, scorched-appearing plain covered with small 
gravel 

Harbata: a region of rough hillocks 

Harime (pl., hardjem): a narrow gully shut in by steep hill- 
sides 

Harize (pl. hardjez): a shallow well (from which water can 
be drawn by hand) 

Hasa’: rocky lowland covered with a layer of clay, sand, and 
gravel, under which the rain water gathers 

Hasa’: gravel 

Hasm (pl., hsm): a “nose” or steep spur of a ridge 

Hawaja: shallow, artificial, stone- and mud-walled reservoirs 
on a rocky surface, where rain water is caught 

Hawta: a fenced-in date grove 

Hazba or hazb (pl., ahzaéb): an extensive but isolated rocky hill 

Hazm: a rather narrow but long height sinking down into a 
plain steeply on the one side and gradually on the other 

Hebge: undulating country where it is possible to hide but 
also to be attacked from ambush 

Hefne: a round hole by the river bank or at the foot of a 
hillside, where rain water gathers; it resembles the radir 
hole, but the latter is usually found in the river bed itself 


680 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Hejd: the foot of a hill; a slope shutting in a plain 

Hemma or hamme: lava 

Herr (pl., herara): a river channel in clay soil, with steep banks 

Hesw (pl., hes7an): a depression in a rocky river bed into which 
the rain water runs under sand and gravel 

Hor: a depression where the rain water forms numerous pools 

Hsabe (pl., h8abdat): a circular, natural rocky wall shutting in 
small level spaces called krajje (pl., krajjat) 

Hubta: a depression in a flat rock, where rain water can 
accumulate 


‘Jta: undulating plain covered in places with sand 


Ka (pl., Z‘dn): a flat plain where the rain water forms no 
brooks 

Ka‘ara (pl., ka‘ar): a large hollow shut in on three sides by 
steep slopes 

Kara or akra*: a ridge 

Kara (pl. kur): an isolated table mountain; a mesa 

Kas‘a (pl., ksa‘): a shallow natural depression in a rocky sur- 
face, where the rain water remains 

Kasime (pl. kasdjem): isolated sand dunes in a rocky plain 

Kasr: a large but shallow basin which becomes a pond after 
unusually heavy rains 

Katar (pl., ktar): the last spur of a mountain range 

Kattar: a spring the water of which does not flow actively 
but merely trickles drop by drop 

Kejs: shallow holes in a channel 

Kenna: an isolated conical hill on top of which a beacon is 
lit whenever the enemy means to attack eee erazing 
far from the camp 

Kir or hummar: bitumen 

Krajje (pl., krajjat): roughly circular basin surrounded by 
walls of crumbling stone 


Lal: a level plain glistening in the sun 
Lassdfa: a hillock with mica 
Luruf: the eroded border of a sand desert 


Mahal: a great distance between two wells 
Mahari: the last spurs of a range of hillocks 
Mahfur (pl., mahdafir): artificial rain pool 


PHYSIOGRAPHIC FEATURES 681 


Mahira: a small flat area flooded and thus fertilized by rain 
water 

Marabb: low-lying ground where the rain water of a channel 
is absorbed 

Masmad (pl., masdmed): an extensive but shallow crevice at 
the foot of a hillside, where the rain water remains. It 
is of greater dimensions than the Zalta 

Masna‘ (pl., masdne‘): a rocky flat area artificially changed 
into a large reservoir 

Matabb: a junction of two channels 

Matne: flat-topped elevation rising gradually from the sur- 
rounding plain 

Ma‘w: hollow on two sides bounded by sand dunes and on 
two merging into rocky plain 

Mefaze: barren tract between two camping grounds 

Megneb: a slope shutting in a valley through which a creek 
runs 

Mehir (pl., mahajer): a basin where much water is absorbed; 
small hole in clay soil where the rain water accumulates 

Mehmehijje: waterless desert 

Mela: a plain. covered with a thin layer of alluvium 

Mellaha: salina 

Mezi (pl., mez‘dn): a shallow branch channel in a valley through 
which the rain water runs off into the main channel 

Mizaze: the highest conical hill near a camp, whence warn- 
ing signals can be given to herdsmen and watchers on 
similar hills near other camps 

Msds: a shallow well in a clay basin into which rain water 
Slowly percolates through the soil 

Mukra or mokr (pl., mkur): half natural, half artificial well, 
five to ten meters deep, dug in a rock, into which the 
rain water flows. The opening, which is usually narrow, 
can be covered with a stone of moderate size 

Muntar: a conical hill 

Mutribe: a path through a lava field 


Nab‘: spring water 

Nazije (pl., nawdzi): a vast sand plain 

Ndzra: height conspicuous from afar 

Neba’ (pl., nebjan): isolated dome-shaped hillock 
Nedra: spur of a rock 

Nedwijje: a small spring disappearing in gravel 


682 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Ni: a ditch around a tent for draining off the rain water 
Nijat: a boundless stony plain 

Nukra: basin into which much rain water runs 

Nurur (pl., nurur):a hillock composed of white and dark strata 


“Obta: a deep basin 


Ra‘an (pl. ravin): a line of rocky hillocks 

kabh: the small stones which scatter under the hoofs of a 
galloping camel 

Radha: a cavity in a stony slope, into which rain water runs 

Radifa (pl., raddjef): a low spot in a wide, shallow river bed 
where the rain water gathers 

Radir (pl., rudrén or rudr): a hole in a channel with steep 
banks where rain water remains for a long time 

Raharih: a wide plain glistening in the sun 

fktakruka: a plain covered with small, crumbled stones 

Rar: a precipice; crevice; canyon | 

arb (pl. rurtib): a reservoir from which water is distributed 

armul (pl., rardmil): an isolated, low, narrow hill 

Rasm: an artificial well left unfinished 

Rasras (or rasrasijje): a plain with rock surfaces worn flat 
by wind and sand, with pebbles and gravel scattered around. 
When a camel treads on such pebbles, the friction against 
the rocky surface produces a sound not unlike the word 
rasras, Which gives such plains their name 

Regde (pl. rigddt): a stratum of solid rock in a steep slope 

Ri: a narrow, short defile 

Rif: a region with good pasture, good crops 

Rigle (pl., rigl): a shallow valley, particularly one tributary 
to a main valley 

Risijje or rise: a shallow valley in an undulating stony plain 

Riss (pl., rstis): a well without water 

fowzg (pl., rizén): lower ground in a level desert, into which 
silt is deposited by rain water, producing a growth of 
perennials, sometimes even of annuals; a meadow 

Ruzuma: a stone, boulder, rock 


Satara: a spring which merely trickles and does not flow 
Sabha: salt marsh 

Sa‘fe: an elevation not necessarily high, but prominent 
Safha (pl. sfah): the base of a mountain 

Sahek (pl., Shik or Sehzédn): the highest summit of a range 


PHYSIOGRAPHIC FEATURES 683 


Sahl (pl., shal): a narrow channel dammed-in by rocks, where 
rain water accumulates under gravel 

Sahsah: a plain shut in by low but steep bluffs 

Sama (pl. Samat): hills of different colors; dark undulating 
country covered in some places with rose-tinged sand 

Sanun: a deep well with no water 

Sarahig or sahdrig: deep rock crevices with a narrow opening 
where the rain water remains pure for a long time 

Sarha: a plain covered with young annuals 

Satne: short branch valley; a shallow channel in a plain 

Sawwdne: tract or hill covered with flints, sawwdn 

Sedawijje: a plain covered with dark-brown gravel 

Seen: creek 

Sefa’: a flat top of a long ridge 

Seffa (pl., sfaf): the brink of a plateau sinking steeply down 
to a valley 

Seib (pl. Seibdn or Se‘bdn): a main valley or watercourse of 
an intermittent stream 

Selil al-ma’: a wild torrent, appearing and disappearing with 
equal suddenness 

Semah: a plain covered with coarse sand, with nothing to 
hinder rapid movement 

Sen‘ (pl., snd): an artificial hollow in a rocky surface, where 
rain water remains 

Senud: the upper parts of a valley 

Serje: narrow gully 

Sihl: a crevice in a stony plain, where rain water remains 
a long time 

Sirdab: subterranean passage 

Sowh (pl., sthan or sijah): a valley without a channel or with 
one partly filled in; shallow depression 

Srejf: a narrow mountain spur 

Swahig: small paths 

Swahiz: high, steep, impassable mountains 


Tablat or tbul: hollow knolls, domes, or “bubbles” 

Taffa (pl., tfdf): a plateau cleft by a deep valley 

Tdg: the opening of a snake hole 

Tanhag (pl., tandhej): a hillock serving as a landmark 

Tar: a long, high, steep escarpment 

Tarab (pl., turbdn): a crevice in a rock or a small hole in 
a rocky gully, where rain water gathers 


684 RWALA BEDOUINS 


Tarak (pl., trik or tradk): a long, low ridge 

Tel (pl., tla‘): a small gully ending in a tributary of a -aain 
valley 

Tell (pl., tll): an isolated hill standing high above the sur- 
rounding country; volcano 

Temile (pl., temajel): a small depression in a rocky river bed, 
into which the rain water runs under the gravel 

Tenijje (pl., tendja): a mountain defile; passage between two 
rows of tents 

Tomijje: hillocks, slopes, and depressions formed in sand by 
the wind 


‘Ud: a narrow valley in rocks 


Wadi (pl., wudijan): a long and wide main valley 

Wassds: cascade 

Wizij (pl., wuzdje): cavities in the solid stony strata of a 
steep hillside 

Wuti: ditch around a tent for draining off the rain water 


Zadme: a projection from a rocky hillside | 

Zalta (pl., Zlat): a crevice in a rocky slope, at least one me- 
ter deep, where rain water accumulates 

Zel‘: an isolated, rugged mountain, usually of granite 

Zelib (pl., kulbén): a well, whether walled and deep or un- 
walled and wide 

Zemle (pl., zeml): a low elevation; a rise 

Zeradze: vast arid plains 

Zobot (pl., zubtan): the clay foot of a gal. 


INDEX 


The positions of place names occurring on the author's map of North- 
ern Arabia accompanying his Arabia Deserta, The Middle Euphrates, Palmy- 
rena, and Northern Negd, New York, 1927—1928, are indicated in the 
index in parentheses by key letters and figures referring to the quadrangles 
on the map. The letters SM refer to the author’s map of Southern Meso- 


potamia which accompanies his The Middle Euphrates. 

Brief, non-technical characterizations are given in parentheses for 
the majority of the Arabic botanical terms. The Latin names of such 
plants as have been identified by J. Velenovsky} are also given. 


Ab-. See main part of topographical proper 
name 

Ab-al-Hejl, member of the ‘Aneze, 46 

Ab-as-Snin, kin of the Hrasa clan of the 
Fed‘an, 643 

Ab-at-thejh, reptile, 42 

Al-‘Abd (ml11), 211, 212 

Al-‘Abd w-Awladeh (h6—7), 657 

“Abdal‘aziz eben Met‘eb eben Raid (1897— 
1906), 805 

‘Abdaléerim (or ‘Abdalkerim) Al Garba’, 317, 
551 

“Abdallah eben ‘Ali eben RaSid (1834—1847), 
57, 301—804, 307, 308 

“Abdallah eben Hasan eben ‘Askar, 295, 299 

“Abdallah eben Mesreb, 48 

‘Abdallah eben Sa‘lan, 57; descendants of, 
588, 585, 636 

“Abdallah eben Sbejjel, lord of the oasis of 
Nefi, 182, 292, 297—300 

“Abdallah al-Matrtd, 182, 184, 297, 303, 308, 311, 

“Abde, tribe of the Sammar in Mesopotamia, 
566, 568; tribe of the Sammar in Nesd 
(ol1l—r16), 3801, 302, 441 

“Abdelle, clan of al-Mihlef, 139, 509, 595, 630, 
650—652 

Abdul-Hamid II (1876—1909), 603 

“Abejée, Eben, mayor of Kna’, 467 

Al-‘Abid of the Hsene, 644 

“Ablan, Eben, of the “Adwan tribe, 194, 199 

‘Abtan, a Kmfsi, 444 

‘Abtan of the Al ‘Isa, 661 [name 

Abu. See main part of topographical proper 

Abu Bejdar, 285—287 

Abu-d-Dhir, tribal emblem, 540,571—574, 605, 
631, 682. See also Al-Markab and Tribal 
emblem 

Abu Farhan. See Muhammad eben Dihi eben 
Smejr 


1 J. Velenovsky, Plantae arabicae ex ultimo itinere A. Musili a. 1915: 


Abu Gabha (or Fanhar abu Gabha), chief of 
the Mtejrat, 612, 615 

Abu-l-Hala, Rwala’s name for every Slubi, 325 

Abu hamad. See Zabb 

Abu Majele, 520 

Abu Mansar (or Sattam eben Sa‘lan), 612, 616 

Abu Nawads, 659 

Abu Nawwaf. See An-Niri eben Hazza‘ eben 
Sa‘lan 

Abu Rasid, 171, 172 

Abu Rega’ of as-Selka, 636 

Abu Riman, a Bedouin, 366 

Abu Rwejs eben Garallah, 566, 568 

Abu Sama, ruling house of the Serahin near 
Hajbar, 57 

Abu Sbejjel, 181. See also ‘Abdallah eben Sbejjel 

Abu Tajeh, ruling house of the Hwétat, 603, 
604, 610, 612 

Abu Tamad, a Kwéébi, 227, 228 

Abu Zejd, hero of stories, 12, 13, 291, 292 

Academy of Sciences, Vienna, xiii 

Adam and serpent, 23; descendants of » slay 
serpents, 238 

Adan (or Al Iden, kin of the Rwala), 288 

Adjuration, 485; gira, 460 

“Adrtb, a Rwejli, 141 

“Adib eben Megwel, 59 

‘Adwan, tribe in al-Belka’, 168, 192, 193, 198; 
southeast of Mecea, 264 

Al-‘Afajef, TlGl (e12—13), 413, 414 

‘Afet, a Bedouin, 500 

‘Agag al-Mséhi, a Rwejli, 138 

Agda’, Al, kin of the al-MwAajge clan of the 
“Ebede, 427 

“Agel al-Jakin, 588, 589 

“Agla, camel’s name, 335 

‘Agman, tribe, 130, 184 

Al-Agradi, Barét (q20), 301 

Al-‘Agrafi, a Dahmasi, 501, 502 


constituting 


Véstnik krdl. éeské spoleénosti nauk. Trida II. na rok 1921—1922 (Mémoires de la Société 
Royale des Sciences de Bohéme, Classe des Sciences, 1921—1922), No. 6, Prague, 1923; idem, 
Plantae arabicae Musilianae, constituting: Véstnik krdl. éeské spoleénosti nauk. Tiida 
mathematicko-prirodovédeckd (Sitzungsberichte der kénigl. béhm. Gesellschaft der Wissen- 
schaften, Math.-naturwiss. Classe), 1911, No. 11, Prague, 1912. 


687 


688 


‘Agram (shrub with long, stiff branches and 
scaled, needle-shaped leaves; resembles rimt), 
338 

Agreements, must be made carefully, 394) 

Al-‘Agramijjat, Habari (111), 577 

“Agsrumijje swamps, 501 

Ahali-l-Kerak, inhabitants of al-Kerak, 50 

Ahejzer, Al or Eben, 414 

Ahejzer, Kasr eben (or 4l) (h18—19), 155, 248 

Ahl al-Gebel, inhabitants of Gebel HawrAn, 
50, 434, 660 

Ahl ‘Isa (or Al ‘Isa), clan of the Ahl al-Gebel, 
615, 660 

Ahl ad-Semal, 138, 615, 641, 642, 658 

Ahu Bnejje al-Jemini, 436 

Abu Dinja (or Najef ahu Dinja), 588, 589 

Abu Kutne, head chief of the Fed‘an, 558 

Ahu Saha, war leader’ of the Aslam, 566, 567 

Abu Sita (or Eben Sa‘lan), 563 

A‘id, negro, 579, 580 

Al-Ajde, division of the Weld “Ali, 319, 320 

“Akab, a Bedouin, 192, 198, 196 

“Akejl, camel traders, 112, 219, 278—281, 314, 
315, 348, 4389; tent of, 62 

“Akejli, member of the ‘Akejl, 279—281, 315, 646 

“Aklat. See proper name 

Al. See main part of proper name 

Al-‘Ala’ (b5—6), 536 

Alarm cry, giving of, 518, 525, 559; recalling 

Alarm fires lit, 386 [of, 525 

Alarms sent from tall cones, 543 

“Alejje, Rigm (n16), 618 

Aleppo, 184, 239, 441 

Alexandretta, 184 

“Ali, kin of the ‘Akejl, 315 

‘Ali, Al or Eben, ruling house of the Sammar, 
300, 301, 303, 312, 313 

‘Ali, Eben, chief of the HreSe, 611, 615 

‘Ali al-Fkiki, chief of the ‘Ebede, 533, 534 

“Ali al-Hazemi, 212 

“Ali ibn Abi Taleb (d. 661), 314, 408, 454 

“Alja’, camel herds of the Rwala, 262, 420, 516, 
526, 550, 594, 595, 601, 610, 614 

“Alja, camel’s name, 335 

“Alja, sweetheart of Abu Zejd, 12, 13 

“Aljan, camel herds of the Rwala, 262. See also 
“Alja’ 

Allah, adds to a man’s days, 139; adds wait- 
ing soul to that of the pregnant mother, 673; 
and guest, 461, 462, 469; and sacrifice of the 
sorcerers, 402; and virginity, 240; and vows, 
420—425; anger of, 421, 427; assures against 
treachery, 529, 563, 571; bestows love, 135, 
221; blesses camels, 329; blesses fighters, 610; 
blesses tent, 229; breathed the soul of the 
first man into the nostrils, 673; brings kins- 
folk together, 260, 265; brings pasture, 6; 
built heaven, 625; called to witness, 426; 
carries out what He desires, 86; comforts, 
174, 209, 210; created all spirits, 411; created 
no horses in Arabia, 371; created the night, 
260; creates men, 160; creator of wealth, 474; 
cures man, 668; curses, 394; cuts fate, 345; 
decides between enemies, 594; decides fate, 
328, 422,670; desires welfare, 652; destroys, 
394, 395; does not permit suicide, 655; dwells 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


in both paradise and hell, 675; dwells in 
heart, 211; enthroned above the earth, 272; 
exalts a man’s name in this world and here- 
after, 493; expands heart with joy, 463; 
facilitates vengeance, 529; fear of » assures 
conjugal fidelity, 563; for Allah’s sake thieves 
are let go free, 116; forgiver, 172, 394, 512; 
given praise for protection against enemy, 
658; gives chance of eating, 87; gives clear 
mind, 261; gives prey to wolves, 611; gives 
rain, 7, 260, 542, 610; gives signs by means 
of Abu-d-Dhir, 574; gives victory, 578; good, 
290; gracious, 542; grants boy, 244; grants 
favor, 434; grants forgiveness and paradise, 
323 ; grants good news, 541; grants life, 538; 
grants luck, 364, 512, 524; grants lucky 
guidance, 541; grants security, 455; grants 
success, 291, 420, 456, 508, 625; has forbidden 
some things, 86; has pity on men, 172; heals 
broken bones, 305; heals cholera, 424; helps 
men, 172, 563; helps paupers, 453; helps to 
destroy an enemy, 528, 546, 547, 595, 606, 612; 
honored by prayers, 135; increases strength, 
644; increases welfare, 463; invisible, 675; 
judges between men, 117; knows all secrets, 
197; knows all things, 290; knows hell tor- 
ments, 675 ; knows working of love, 144; law 
and tradition of, 466; leads raiders, 507, 600, 
607; liberates from disease, 668; light and 
right of, 430; looks after the Bedouins, 86; 
Lord of stairs leading to the heights, 512; 
Lord of this world, 477; makes fate clear, 
3823; makes something deceitful, 178; makes 
sound sleep possible, 398; merciful, 6, 116, 
642, 670; merciful to dead, 673; messenger 
of, 7; migration of, 675; moderation for the 
sake of, 197; most generous, 546; name of, 
265, 311; obeyed by clouds, 6; obeyed by souls, 
669; omnipotent, 671; omnipresent, 675; one 
only, 213; opens the child’s nostrils and puts 
the life into its body, 673; opens the gate 
of freedom, 474; permits dead to visit their 
kin in dreams, 675; power of ~ eminent, 430; 
preserves health, 456, 461, 462; preserves 
travelers, 463; prevents blood flowing, 529; 
prolongs life, 12, 612, 645, 647; protection 
of ~ asked, 497; protects against evil eye, 
311; protects children, 11; protects hoisted 
bucket, 343; protects man, 30, 95, 163, 265, 
271; punishes, 401; punishes anger, 254; 
punishes sins, 172, 674; punishes perjury, 
429; punishes those who persecute seers, 401, 
402; punishes untrue finder, 453, 454; punish- 
es with sickness, 168; pursues the enemy 
of the Rwala, 627; puts life into the man as 
well as into the animal, 673; quick of hear- 
ing, 474; reads hearts, 421; remembered at 
the beginning of every purpose, 290; re- 
moves evil, 448; replaces dead, 671; restores 
fortunes, 210; returns the distant, 421, 422; 
rewards, 116; rewards sufferers, 272; rids 
of disturbers, 402; rules man, 7, 344; saves 
from evil, 114; saves life, 490, 491, 498; sees 
everything, 675; sends angel to drive the 
clouds, 6, 7; sends breeze, 18; sends celestial 
spirits to men, 411; sends dreams, 395, 396, 


INDEX 


509; sends food, 652, 653; sends leader, 406; 
sends rain clouds, 7, 419; sends sufferings, 
671; sends those who have sinned against 
their tribe to dalfdt, 342; shapes women, 
143; spokesman of, 396, 400, 401; spokesman 
of ~ inthe shapeof a rider seated ona white 
mare, 400; steadfast in his decisions, 591; 
strong, 6; swearing by, 2, 54, 183, 193, 196 
19S 200 elo. 218,219, 221, 227, 308, 317, 318, 
346, 361, 423, 426, 429, 484, 486, 453, 462, 472, 
5387, 556, 562, 564, 565, 578, 599, 610, 638, 646, 
546, 669; takes soul to himself, 652, 653; 
tongue of ~ truthful, 480; trusted in by 
raiders, 642; weighs both the good deeds 
and the sins of the deceased, 674; weights 
of ~ are just, 480; whitens face, 452, 493; 
will of, 524, 595, 604, 652, 658; wills success, 
396 ; witness, 651 

Allium atroviolaceum, Boiss. See Karrdt 

“Allas, Eben, of the ‘Ebede, 427 

“Allas, Eben (or MeShen eben ‘AI1@8), 482, 433 

“Alib as-Sidr, tavern on the Ambar-Bagdad 

Al-‘Amad, Umm, 605 [road, 314; 315 

‘Amarat, tribe (h12—16), 46, 82, 85, 131, 148, 
250, 291, 292, 304, 309, 420, 440, 449, 5038, 521, 
522, 546, 551, 574, 638, 641, 646 

Al-Ambar (SM f 10), 315 

Ambat, Kasr (m-n15), 650, 651 

‘Amer, Eben, settler of Caf, 220 

‘Amez, S. (£14), 416, 648 

“Amlis ab-al-Wkal, 286, 287 

Ammunition belt, 131, 559 

“Amyra’, camel’s name, 335 

‘Ama, mother of Fares Al Garba’, 274, 275 

“Amitd, Tell (j10), 78 

‘Am‘tim, a Bedouin, 364 

Anarrhinum orientale, Bth. See Mwédsal 

*“Anejza (qi5), 111, 112 

“Anejzan, Eben, 659 

“Aneze, xiii, 134, 137, 184, 267, 279, 292, 304, 
419, 440, 441, 588; division of, 46 

Angel, angry with Bedouins, 4; announces 
Allah’s will, 400, 411; brings success, 625; 
causes lightning and thunder, 6; death ~ 
visits men, 545; kills a disobedient seer, 400; 
rides a white mare, 400; rides camels, 7; 
rules over the rain clouds, 6, 14; speaks to 
seers, 402 

Animals, bad and good signs of, 392, 394, 395; 
given as recompense for a man killed by 
them, 499; protection of, 4438, 446 

Al-‘Ankari. See Fejsal al-‘Ankari 

Annuals, essential for rabi*, 16, 542; sprout 
after abundant at-trajjdwi rain, 226 

Ant, 48; and wmm sdlem, 41 

“Antar, hero of tales, 292 

Antelope, 26; hunted by the Slejb, 825; use 
of «~ skin, 325 

Appeal to a board of judges, 431, 435, 436 

Arabian desert, 185, 345 

Arabie letters, transliteration of, xiii, xiv 

Arabs, are inhabitants of black tents, 44; 42, 
44, 45, 141, 155, 161, 163—165, 172, 203, 222, 
2238, 247, 264, 326, 346, 367, 423, 425, 461, 468, 
497, 500, 516, 574, 594, 597, 600, 602, 606, 618, 
621, 642—644, 646; of Rasi, 222 


689 


“Ardd (shrub with thin branches and yellowish, 
hairy leaves; resembles rite), 338 

“Ardjef, mares or camels looted and later res- 
cued, 620 

‘Ardza or ‘arga, proclamation of fidelity to 
the chief, 81, 526, 561, 578, 605 

‘Arej‘er, Al, ruling house of the Beni Hailed, 
215 

Al-‘Arejz (n9—o10), 38 

Al-‘Arez, 367 

“Arfa, camel herds of the Sha‘a, 81, 449, 535 

Al-‘Arfagijje, 301, 302 

Aristida plumosa, L. See Nasi 

Arkat (i10), 418 

Armor worn under the clothes, 388 

‘Arsfn abu Zidle, 594 

Arta (Calligonum comosum, L.; nearly leafless 
shrub with scaled branches, clusters of small 
flowers, and nut-shaped hairy fruit), 231, 
3387; serves as wisp, 473 

“Arug, Eben, chief of the Beni Lam, 188, 367 

“Arga. See ‘Ardz4 

Al-‘Asi, Orontes (b—e5), 657 

Al-‘Asi eben Farhan, chief of the Aslam, 
566—568 

“Asir eben ‘Awde al-Kwéébi, 244 

Al-ASkar, nickname of Sa‘din, head chief of 
the Muntifez, 557 

“Askar, Eben. See “Abdallah eben Hasan eben 
“Askar 

Aslam, tribe of the Sammar in Mesopotamia, 
566, 568, 569; tribe of the Sammar in Negsd 
(r17—p20), 441 

Al-‘Assafijje (p9), 205 

Asses, pure-blood » bred by the Slejb, 197 

‘“A8wan eben Ibrahim eben Darer eben Zeri 
eben Mesreb, 48, 658, 655 

“Atejbe, 264, 298, 364, 628 

“Atejbi, member of the ‘Atejbe, 362 

Al-‘Aten, a Sarari, 486 

“Atfa, faney litter, 214—216, 540, 541, 546, 
571; lost forever, if captured by the enemy, 
215, 396, 397, 541 

“Atijje, Beni (m4—p6), 136, 584, 613, 614 

Atriplex, L. See Kataf 

Atriplex dimorphostegia, K. K. See Rorejla 

Atriplex leucoclada, Boiss. See Rorol 

Attack, 528—530; after midnight or shortly 
before sunrise prohibited among beni al- 
‘amm; 47; announced by an alarm ery, 
107; causes panie in camp, 173; feint ~ 
made to draw attention elsewhere, 651; 
frequent when the dew has evaporated, 385; 
honorable, 523; made by the horse riders, 
305; noise during, 251; on a migrating 
tribe, 107; prohibited among friends, 449, 
603, 614; riders in an ~ clothed in their 
gray shirts, 614 

Author, poem composed in honor of the, 291 

‘Awagi, Al, clan of the Weld Slejman, 170, 
171, 596, 648 

“Awde abu Burkan al-Kwéébi, 147, 212, 224— 
228, 244, 886, 430, 484, 487, 488, 588, 599, 
613, 614, 631, 633, 634 

“Awde abu Tajeh, 528, 613 

“Awejnan eben Sa‘id, judge, 427, 447 


690 


“Awénan eben Sa‘id, a Kmasi, 499 

“Awga’, camel’s name, 335 

Awlad Gam‘an (Da‘man, Nsejr, and Slag 
eben Sa‘lan), 587, 589 

Awlad al-Hala (or Slejb), 325 

Awlad MaSshitr of the reigning kin of Eben 
Sa‘lan, 636 

Awlad Ranem (or Slejb), 325 

“Awna, Helper, name of a mare, 383 

“Awseg (Lycium arabicum, Schw.; dense 
thorny shrub with sweet reddish berries) 
inhabited by spirits, 416 

‘“Awwad eben Tahis of the Milhak kin of the 
Swalme clan, 486, 487 

“Azazre, clan of the Fed‘an, 641, 650 

“Azejb eben Mow‘ed, chief of the Sajeh kin 
of the Aslam, 569 

‘Azejb eben Mow‘ed, Rwejli hero, 517, 518 

‘Azem, despised tribe of Arabia, 136 

Al-‘Azér, Arabian harbor on the Persian 
Gulf, 280 

Al-‘Azib (b—c7), 412 

“Azil eben Meslad, 546 

‘Aziz eben Stéwi of the as-Shejm clan of the 
Kmusa, 427 

Al-Azrak (15), 28, 40, 570 

‘Azzam, sword of Gdé* eben Haddal, 85 


Badger, 22, 30 

Bagdad, Al Salem live in, 279; commercial 
caravans from ~ to Syria, 315; commercial 
relations of ‘Anejza with, 112; peddler 
from, 125; road from Damascus to, 420 

Bahatri (Erodium cicutarium, L.; Erodium 
pulverulentum, L.; gray herb with reddish 
flower heads), 95, 271 

Bajer, Kasr (j6—7), 415 

Bak‘a (q15—16), 389 

Bakara bint Hmar abu ‘AwwéAad, 244 

Bakr, Eben. See MaS‘an eben Bakr 

Balha, camel’s name, 335 

Banana bush, 323 

Barakat, aS-Serif, 484 

Barakat eben Stéwi, 648 

Barct. See proper name 

Bargas eben Hdejb, 449, 521 

Bargas eben MaShir (d. 1859), 58° 

Bargas eben WaAjel, 641, 642 

Al-Bark (110), 418 

Barras eben Sa‘id, 427 

Barri eben Darer eben Zeri eben Mesreb, 48 

Al-Barrit (i17), 654, 655 

Basalt area, difficult access to, 614 

Baek or éhala, hawk, 35 

Al-Basra, agents of Eben Bassam in, 278; 
apricots of, 213; camels sold in, 279, 628; 
district of ~ settled, 214; imitation of St. 
Etienne rifles manufactured in, 134; Turk- 
ish troops march from @ to al-Hasa’, 184 

Bassam, settlement in al-Kasim, 278 

Bassam, Eben, 278, 279 

Bassia muricata, L. See Orejnbe 

Batha bint ‘AwwAd, a recognized sorceress, 
402 

Al-Batin, basin east of Edra‘at, 532 

Battah (or Smejr), Eben, 427 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


Battle, 578, 596, 597, 601, 606, 619—622; ina 
» riders bare their heads, 247. See also War 

Battus, plant with red fruits, 172 

Bauer, Archbishop Dr. FrantiSek, Olomouc, 
xiii 

Bawwa, bird, 39 

Baz, sparrow hawk, 35 

Al-Bdutni, stud horse of the Mtejr tribe, 384, 385 

Bdar (Oppressed) of the ESage‘a, 509; have 
an unlucky sign, 391 

Beard, 115; cutting of chin ~ great insult, 116, 
117, 341, 587, 589; shaved in a dream is bad 
omen, 398 

Bedouins are those who spend the greater 
part of the year in the interior of the 
desert and who breed mostly camels, 45 

Bees, 43 

Begetting, faculty of » strengthened or des- 
troyed by witches, 407 

Beggars, 452 

Belha, camel herds, 636 

Belhan eben Mnazzel, 443, 444 

Beli, tribe, 584, 613 

Al-Belka’, 191—193, 387, 583, 585 

Belts fasten the towb and zebin, 119; on bare 
bodies, 118, 150, 8313; on bare bodies loosened 
in litters, 259; over the dress of wealthy 
women, 254 

Bender eben Haddal, 637 

Bender eben Talal eben RaSid (d.1869), 309 

Benefactors, recognition of, 452 

Beni. See main part of proper name 

Berim al-Bint (£10), 649 

Berzan in Hajel, 183—185 

Bewitched person cured by fumigation, 408 

Bewitching, faculty of ~ destroyed by eating 
human excrement, 408, 409 

Bezi® eben ‘Arej‘er, 184 

Al-BeZzze (near al-Mzérib), 366, 367 

Bhejder, a chief from the Frege, 59 

Al-Bijaz (110—11), 78 

Bird (r9—10), 227, 228 

Birds, 31—41; brought down from the air by 
the evil eye, 409; heart thrown away, 97; 
of prey, 31—37; of prey level the floors of 
their nests, 271 

Bisr, ancestor of the Fed‘an, Sba‘a, and ‘Ama- 
rat, 420 

Al-Bi8Sri (b—al0), 307, 309, 458, 687, 642 

Black, flag indicates dishonor, 451; tent canvas 
on the neck of a camel indicates sad event, 
604 

Blacksmiths, 281, 282; cure sick, 198; forbidden 
to marry Bedouins, 136, 137, 297; receive 
flesh from slaughtered camels, 96 

Blechova, Anna, xiv 

Blejhan eben Ibrahim eben Darer eben Zeri 
eben Mesreb, xiii, 48, 81, 83, 179, 180, 273, 
404, 418, 420, 424, 425, 432—434, 443, 641, 648, 
645, 647, 649, 655 

Blisters caused by uneven saddle, 262 

Blood, of an enemy drunk, 527, 528; of killed 
animals left for earthly spirits, 411; of 
slaughtered camels eaten, 97; of the sac- 
rificed animal sprinkled on the tombstone, 
418, 420; sprinkled toward world quarters, 672 


INDEX 691 


Blood feud, aid in a~@ is gratis, 493; rewards 
of the court in judgments of, 437 

Blood marks, on a guest’s camel, 463, 467, 
469, 470; on the face of a man, 423, 425 

Blood price, abatement of, 492, 493; arrange- 
ments for payment of, 491—493; among 
beni al-‘amm, 47; among unrelated tribes, 
47; for an eloper, 138; for caused miscar- 
riage, 494 

Blood relationship, derived from the father’s 
side, 46, 47; granted to unrelated tribes, 47; 
representative of, 49 

Blunt, W.S., 58 

Bnejje, Eben, kin of the Rwala, 57, 95, 303, 
304 

Bombay, Eben Bassam in, 278 

Booty, capturing of, 524; desired, 459; dis- 
puted, 432—435; division of, 510, 511; not 
shared by independent leaders, 579; re- 
turned to a girl, 580; securing of, 524, 531; 
songs of, 537 

Bosra, 58, 266 

Bosra bint ‘Orejé, a soothsayer of the Ha- 
wazem tribe, 405 

Boulders believed to be spirits’ herds, 415 

Box, 1138; rare and admired, 320 

Boys, can be begotten on the night from 
Thursday to Friday, 231; circumcised, 244— 
255; games of, 256—258; boys increase 
mother’s esteem, 254; newly born destroyed 
by earthly spirits, 417; small must not 
go on a raid, 508 

Bradan (f18), 656 

Bravery, 471, 472; depicted, 514, 515, 545; in 
war, 483; of a commander, 483, 526, 527 

Bread, baking of, 91, 92; convex sheet of iron 
for baking, 72; kinds of, 92 

Breakfast, pancake bread for ~ for, guests, 
92; unknown, 87, 385 

Brejda in al-Kasim, 357 

Al-Brétijje (p8), 604 

Bride, compensation for, 139, 222; compen- 
sation for am among the ‘Adwdan, 193; 
dowry, 1389, 140; dowry belongs to the ~ 
only, 236; dowry of a~ bought by husband, 
229; dowry of a~ not returned easily, 235; 
fixed price for, 193; al-mukalleddt gifts for 
a ~~” among unrelated families, 445 

Brother-protector receives tax, 60, 280, 281 

Bsejjel (species of onion), 95 

Btejjen eben Midbar eben MerSed, 418 

Btejnat, clan of the al-“Amira division of the 
Kmusa, 427, 643 

Bulbs enjoyed, 15 

Burial, 670, 671 

Burku* (g8), 641, 650, 657, 658 

Burying places not permanent, 418 

Bushes inhabited by spirits, 416 

Butter, for guests only, 468; may not be sold, 
129; measured in a pear-shaped vessel, 130; 
dropped into a parched throat, 95, 655 

Butum tree, 95 

Bwéza, camel’s name, 335 


Al-Ca‘aéi, Setb of (h13—14), 415 
Caf (j7), 94, 220, 227 


Caftan, worn by women, 124; silk ~ , mezdwi, 
worn by wealthy women, 178 

Cairo, agent of Eben BassAm in, 278 

Calendula aegyptiaca, Desf. See Henwa 

Calendula micrantha, Boiss. See Henwa 

Calligonum comosum, L. See Arta 

Camels, 329—870; accompanied by ravens, 36; 
abandoned ~ caught during araid are handed 
over to the commander, 510; and Gibrin, 5; 
appellatives of, 12; bald spot on the right 
shoulder blade proof of long journeys, 365; 
best riding ~ raised by the Sararat, 165, 291, 
298; big with young entitled to protection, 
550; big with young frightened easily 549; big 
with young not sold, 320; black predominate 
in Negd, 264; black ~ raised by the ‘Atejbe, 
364; branded, 312; broad and bony, 158; calves 
killed if weaklings, 209; calves of ~ jour- 
neying far killed, 194; calves prevented from 
sucking, 89, 298; calves suck strange, 87, 88; 
calves without herdman’s care would perish, 
221; eared for by son or daughter, 262; cau- 
tious mountain climbers, 168; colors of, 165, 
334, 335, 343; cured by flesh of short snakes, 
42; dislike settled territory, 226; examined, 
320; exchanged for arms and ammunition, 
280; exchanged for wares, 270; exhausted 
cannot be frightened, 589; fat boiled and 
preserved is preferred to butter, 97; fat or 
marrow used for rubbing hide, 70; fat ~ 
liked, 155; fatten rapidly eating rite, 600; 
feeble’» left on the camping ground, 197; 
find no pasture in the neighborhood of settle- 
ments, 312; flesh as food, 96, 97; forced to 
go fast, 592; frightened easily, 299; fright- 
ened purposely, 637; frightened run away, 
524, 549, 550; give milk to their young, 476; 
good qualities in, 294, 295, 298, 320, 334, 355; 
good-tempered, enduring “are precious for 
long raids, 475; gray shoulder blades and 
white spots below belts, 298, 308; graze while 
riding, 286; hair of white carefully gath- 
ered, 336; hair spun, 67; head never set 
before guests, 470; hedgehog skin tied around 
the neck of timid, 28; herds of, 159; herds 
guarded by warriors, 263, 475, 525; herds 
have special names, 262; hide dressing, 70; 
hump covered with long thick hair, if never 
saddled, 548; judged after the sloping of the 
back to the tail, 555; kept together, 324; 
killed in honor of important guests, 214, 
603; kneeling, 152, 312, 313; loins sink in on 
insufficient pasture, 299; lose their humps 
on long fatiguing journeys, 308; lost ~ dis- 
covered by a soothsayer, 405; male ~ carry 
a chief’s equipment, 262; markets, 270 ; mer- 
chants, 278—281; merchants spread news, 
628; migrating ~ kept quiet by the daw calls, 
549; milk as main nourishment, 87—90, 348; 
milk not churned, 89; milk, procuring of, 
21, 22, 87—89; milk of ~ from six to ten years 
old tastes best, 320; milk of young white ~ is 
best, 175; milk seldom given to a mare, 521; 
milk, sour, serves as supper, 87; milking 
many ~ with the aid of one calf, 209; milk- 
ing » never sold, 89; milking of, 88; more 


692 


than twenty years o!d no’ restricted in 
their freedom, 547; most fatigued when 
traveling in midsummer, 182; mourn their 
young lost, 195; named differently accord- 
ing to the stages of pregnancy, 324; names, 
335; of inner desert enduring, 197; of a 
mission, 319; of settlers graze with the 
herds of Bedouins, 312; on distant past- 
ure, 809; pace and trot of, 286; pack ~ on 
raids, 644; pasturing, 
dependent on cotton crop in Egypt, 279; 
promised to Allah in vows, 421—425; pro- 
tected by spring water from the al-rogg 
disease, 584; pure blood not recognized, 
191; quiet in danger of attack, 549; rest be- 
fore sunrise and after sunset, 368; rest dur- 
ing kdjile, 189; rest three months after long 
marches, 298, 357; ridden for a short time 
are very fast and disobedient, 583: rider be- 
hind the saddle, radif, 313; riding « belong 
to those who capture them, 629; riding 
fatten when not ridden, 189; riding on white 
» desired by women, 261; run of ~ likened 
to that of a seared male ostrich, 583: saddle 
covers, £wwd‘ed, 368; saddles, 350-354; saddles 
cause blisters, 262, 370; saddles of pack « 
end in conical ornament, 273; sexual desire 
is the stronger the better isthe pasture, 600; 
she- ~ are more enduring than male, 588; 
slaughtering, 96; speed at night,‘157; speed 
before and after sunset, 148, 356 ; speed of, 
356, 857; stained with blood of riders are 
sold, 395; strong ~ liked by women, 141; suet 
may not be sold, 97; teats closed with sharp 
clamps, 298; thoroughbred imported from 
‘Oman, 312; thrive best upon the hamz 
pasture, 83; trade in, 278—281; turning a 
flush wheel not used for breeding purposes, 
322; urine used for washing hair, 117, 118; 
used for long raids in hot season, 508: uses 
of, 348,349; walking on lava, 275; watering 
of, 208, 338—340; watering of ~ chief work 
of slaves, 276; watering froma deep well 
tiresome, 344; weak young killed to secure 
milk, 87, 88,194; white » form the pride of 
every tribe, 261, 335, 336, 397; with bruised 
soles, 275, 300; with galled backs, 397; with 
large and fat humps, 313; young ~ protected 
before beasts of prey by Solomon’s circle, 
348; young sterile » run after the best 
pasture, 547 

Camping grounds, 76—78; in dangerous local- 
ities, 253 

Camps, form and extent, 77, 81; in different 
periods, 584; in lowlands in midsummer, 
164; in the shape of an ellipse, 77, 180; 
protected against wind, 346; of less than 
ten tents, 156; of less than thirty tents, 81; 
tents dispersed when there is no danger, 
149; tents in parallel lines, 180; together 
in times of danger, 621 

Captive, sharing of booty with, 484 

Captured herds, warriors driving ~ can 
easily be overcome by the enemy, 153, 531, 
649, 651, 658 

Caravan going to buy supplies, 182 


236-838; price of ~ » 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


Cardamom added to black coffee, also used as 
perfume, 562 

Carpets, 64, 66 

Caseb eben “Omejm, 645, 650 

Cehaf Hamme (al-Hamme, all), 303 

Cen‘an al Tajjar, 172, 175 

Cenhab, nickname of the Esage‘a, 631, 632 

Chameleon, 42 

Charity, principal motive for “is care for 
honor, 451 

Chief, advances himself by marriage, 232, 206% 
cannot interfere with the jurisdiction of the 
hereditary judges, 427; distinguished mem- 
ber of his kin, 50, 507; endangered by a 
military leader, 50, 51, 507; follows publie 
opinion, 597, 600; gets a tax from every camel 
bought by the ‘Akejl, 280; insubordinate « 
punished severely, 59; of enemies’ tribe 
often friends, 593—595, 597; power of aw in 
his slaves’ hands, 277; protects despoiled 
fellow tribesmen, 613; qualities ‘required 
from, 471, 486; rides at the head of a migra+- 
ing tribe, 76; Sejh or Sujith, 58; sons are 
brought up by slaves, 277; supplies despoiled 
fellow tribesmen, 90; supplies water when 
scarce, 249; supplies of » carried by male 
camels, 262 

Children, 243—246; care for, 126, 127; dress, 
126; endangered by earthly spirits, 416, 417; 
growth of ~ increased or hindered by Slejb 
women, 406; inherit their parents’ qualities, 
288, 289; inheritance, 663; property of their 
parents, 495; protected against diseases by 
hyena’s teeth, 20; raising of, 255, 256; small 
«fed with a thin paste, 94; till the age of 
seven stay with their mother, 236; who kill 
one of their parents must leave tribe forever, 
495 

China, dishes brought from, 104; wandering 
dervishes from, 327 

Christians, daughters of » mentioned, 196; use 
the phrase w-an-nebi, by the Prophet him- 
self, 219 

Circassians inhabit al-MeSrefe, 535 

Circumcision ceremonies, 244—246 

Al-Clabat (h13—14), 415 

Clans, bearing a bad omen, 391, 392; bearing 
a good omen, 391 

Cleanliness not cared for, 134 

Cleome arabica, L. See Zorrét an-na‘dm 

Cloak, ‘aba’, 120; cheap, 10; men’s, 120, 120%: 
required by decency, 126; winter, 149, 150; 
women’s, 123 

Clothes, 118—125 

Clouds, and rain, 5—7; watched carefully, 345 

Coffee, fresh for guests, 469; pounding of 
beans, 469; preparation of, 100—102, 104, 107, 
468, 469; prepared in the men’s tent, 502; 
roasting of, 107, 113; spiced, 104, 110, 114, 
260; twice-boiled, 107 

Coffeepots, 100—102, 117, 157; resemble black 
geese, 108, 106, 107 

Commander, in raids, 510; must be brave, 526, 
527; shares in booty, 510 

Constantinople, Sattam eben Sa‘lan in, 603, 
605, 613 


INDEX 


Countenance, compensation for lost, 444; 
white ~ possessed by Bedouins only, 479 
Countenance blackened, 451; black feathers 
on a spear indicate, 552; black tent cloth 
on a tent pole shows, 615; by an attack 
after midnight, 524; by an attack without 
a declaration of war, 614; by keeping lost 
articles, 454; by not returning robbed 
property to a protected traveler, 439; by 
offering a guest anything less than pure 
milk, 585; by refusing protection or declin- 
ing its obligation, 441, 448; by remaining 
behind comrades in a fight, 520; by steal- 
ing from a fellow tribesman or neighbor, 
450; by yielding a guest to the enemy, 466; 
feared, 451 

Countenance or protection, 438—440; granted 
by an absent hero, 55, 574; lent assutes 
safety, 55 

Counter attack, 525, 530 

Cowards, bring no luck, 564; hated, 202, 209, 
ATS, O0'l 

Cradle, 126 

Culprit fleeing before an avenger cannot be- 
come traveling companion, 440 

Curses, 394; of seers feared, 401, 402 

Cushion, mirake. for rider’s legs, 171, 291, 
351— 353 

Customs, fixed ~ guide the social and private 
undertakings, 389 

Cynomorium coccineum, L. See Tartat 

Cynomorium giganteum, Vel. See Tartit 


Ad-da‘a‘, variety of semh, 93 

Dagger, 133 

Ad-Dahal, Hubejrat (i9—10), 596 

DahamSe (j16—20), 84, 85, 309, 326, 502, 503, 
546, 570, 619, 638, 646 

Dahham, a Harbi, 634 

Dahilallah, a Sammari, 160 

Da‘lik (Scorzonera Musili, Vel.; perennial 
with long roots, white, dense branches, 
and hairy heads of yellowish flowers), 95 

Da‘man, hero, 589 

Damascus (e4—5), 56, 57, 71, 78, 82, 85, 109, 
112, 168, 171, 205, 226, 273, 278, 279, 321, 368, 
407, 420, 422, 489, 469, 565, 584, 666, 669 

Darb. See proper name 

Darer eben Zeri eben Mesreb, 48 

Da‘sAn eben Hem3, Sarari warrior, 528 

Dates, helwa, most delicious variety, 211; 
meals of, 94 

Datid, Jewish armorer, 84, 85 

Datd eben Sulejman eben Saleh, al-Hags, 
Damascus, xiii 

Ad-Daw (d7), 657 

Ad-Dawis, an Aslami, 569 

Dawwas (SM e111), 303 

Day, division of, 4; jowm, from sunset to 
sunset, 477; significance of, 389—891 

Dbajje, a girl, 143 

Dead, are avoided, 670; benefitted when one 
takes a pebble from the grave, 673; supper 
for, 672, 673 

Death, awaits everybody, 550; causes a stir, 
489; inevitable, 484 


693 


Debadeb (h17), 653 

Debts, cause much torment, 269; contracted 
easily, 270; contracted with the Kubejsat 
paid regularly, 270; 

Decency requires sufficient clothes, 86, 126 

Ad-Defajen (b10), 643 

Defran eben Barri eben Darer eben Zeri eben 
Mesreb, 48 

Ad-Dejr (Dejr az-Zér, b12), 133, 418, 519, 520 

Ad-Demim, Tar (b4—e5), 652 

Demon drops urine into a yawning mouth, 399 

Demoniac fettered and left to perish of thirst, 
669 

Der‘, a girl, 154 

Dera’, millet, 93, 189 

Der‘an, Eben, of the Al Mur‘az, 280, 603, 610, 
613 

Der‘at (g4), 226 

Ad-Der‘ijje, 279 

Desert, population on the borders of » changes 
according to the government, 45 

Dew, 17, 18 

Dhejjen, 40 

Dialects, differences between the Sammar and 
Rwala, 517 

Diba, She Wolf, a mare’s name, 383 

Diban, white slave of Eben Megwel, 138 

Dijab, a Bedouin, 106 

Dijab eben Nedi eben Saleh eben Zeri eben 
Mesreb, 48 

Dijab eben Ranem, 274, 275 

Direction by stars, 355 

Diseases, 666, 667; and ostrich fat, 39; hyena’s 
teeth protect children against, 20; of camels, 
368—370; of camels and flesh of short snakes, 
42; of the eye cured by skin shed by a ser- 
pent, 42; of horses, 382, 383 

Dishonor. See Countenance blackened 

Dispute, about a bride, 444—446; about a 
camel, 446; about a captured mare, 642; of 
three wives about a carpet, 242; settlements 
Of, 426% 

Disputed territories, 260, 261 

Distribution of property forbidden, 662 

Ditties, appropriated by others than the 
author, 140; at circumcision ceremonies, 
246—255; love, 140—227; of travelers, 457— 
459; sung by defenders of their camp, 541— 
570; sung by girls, 258—266; sung when 
camels are watered, 340—347 

Divorce, 232—239 

Divorced wife, is the sole owner of the camel, 
given to her by her husband, 663; may be 
limited in her freedom, 233 

Dlejjel, a girl, 518 

Dlejjil bint Mazi, recognized sorceress, 402 

Dlejman a3-Srejfi, 604, 611, 613 

Dmejm, a Bedouin, 488 

Dmejr (e5), environs of ~ preferred camping 
grounds, 44, 168, 172 

Ad-Dmejte (h8), 397 

Dogs, and foxes, 25; bite of a mad, 326, 
669; in the women’s compartment, 73, 569; 
kept by the Slejb, 325 

DowSan, clan of the Mtejr, 182, 296, 299 

Drajjem, a Bedouin, 533 


694 


Drajjem eben Haddal, 521 

Dreams, as omens, 395—899; concerning 
return from an important undertaking, 
395—398; on raids, 509 

Ad-Dré‘i eben Gandal, war chief of the Rwala 
at the beginning of the 19th century, 57 

Ad-Dré‘i eben MaShir, 53 

Ad-Dré‘i eben Sa‘lan, head chief of the 
Rwala at the beginning of the 19th cen- 
tury, 574, 575 : 

Drejb, kin of the Kmusa, 499 

Drejjem az-Zulmawi, 469 

Dress, 115—125; difference in, 134; opinion 
about, 126 ‘ 

Drums used by the inhabitants of villages 
by the Euphrates, 85 

Druses, aid the Beni Sahr against the Rwala, 
618; aid Muhammad eben Smejr against 
the Rwala, 588; Allah cares for ~ too, 129; 
fought by Turkish troops, 556; inhabit 
Hermon, 589 

Duel with a famous hero fought during a 
raid, 527, 528 

Duhejna, a camel’s name, 335 

Ad-Duhejne (c13), 356 

Dimat al-Gandalijje (m11), 645 

Durman, clan of the Rwala, 148, 576, 604, 
618, 633 

Durmi, Eben, of the Al GlAs, 427 

Dwam, kin of the ‘Ebede, 645 

Dwejle, a girl, 166, 

Dyrynk, Karel, xiv 


Eagle, 36 

Earth, conception of Bedouins and Slejb, 675 

Eating, 98—100, 462, 463; of ‘ej&, 129 

‘Ebéi, a Sammari, 322 

“Ebede, division of the Sba‘a, 180, 181, 239, 
391, 417, 428, 427, 449, 496—498, 521, 534, 602, 
641, 6438, 645, 649 

Eben. See main part of proper name 

Eben al-‘amm, compels the reserved girl to 
marry him, 234, 235; hinders marriage of 
a girl, 219; rights of, 137, 225, 444, 560 

Edible plants, 95 

Edra‘at (or Der‘at, ¢4), Eben Smejr defeated 
near, 532; Rwala surprised in the vicinity 
of, 606 

Egoist. turns his back when meeting his 
benefactor, 486 

Egypt, “Akejl drive camels to, 112; camels 
sold in, 112, 279, 280, 348; cane sugar im- 
ported from, 179; imitations of St. Etienne 
revolvers manufactured in, 134; many Bed- 
ouins visit » as camel drivers, 247, 628; 
old English military rifles imported from, 
182; price of cotton in ~ affects prices of 
camels in Arabia, 849; wholesale camel 
merchants live in, 278 

Ehdejjan, a Kmasi, 434, 435 

‘Ejad eben ‘Arsan al-Fresgi, 557 

“Ejda, a eamel’s name, 335 

‘Ejda, Snappy, a mare’s name, 383 

“Ejfe eben Mgejd, 583, 585 

‘E78, boiled wheat, 92 lin, 57 

Al-‘Ela’ (s8), court at, 237; judge al-mballe‘ 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


Al-‘Elejjanijje (e8), 657 

Al-‘Elejm (012), 38 

Elopement, ditties on, 199—201; of a married 
woman dissolves the marriage, 239 ; punished 
with death, 203; with a girl revenged as is 
murder, 138 

Eloper, blood money for, 138 

‘Elwa, division of the Mtejr, 146, 147, 295, 299 

Emex spinosus, L. See Humbejz 

Al-Emir. See Muhammad eben RaSid 

‘Enad of the Al ‘Isa, 661 

“Enaza (h10), 650 

‘Erbid near as-Samawa, 631, 632 

Erodium bryoniaefolium, Boiss. See Tummejr 

Erodium ciconium, L. See Tummejr 

Erodium cicutarium, L. See Bahatri 

Al-Egage'a, 391, 509, 581, 584, 589, 595, 602, 
632; recognize an-Niri as their head, 506 

“E&ba bint Hmezi, recognized sorceress, 402 

Al-‘Eséle (f—g18), 656 

Esrija (b7), 180, 181, 648, 649 

Etra (j7), 94 

Euphrates, 85, 131, 183, 180—182, 184, 199, 210, 
239, 250, 269, 274, 275, 292, 304, 309, 314, 315, 
322, 418, 443, 484, 491, 520, 551, 559, 568, 577, 
631, 636, 652, 653, 660, 661° 

Europe, rabbit of, 27; weapons made in, 314 

Europeans buy mares, 377 

Evil eye, 407—410 

Al-‘Ewes (n17), 626 

Experience makes every enterprise succeed, 
292 

Eyebrows dyed black, 193 

Eyelids dyed black, 124, 125, 177, 178, 198 

Eyes praised, 555—557 

Eye-witness entitled to compensation, 428 

“Ezzaddin, 404. 


Fahad, panther, 20 

Fahad eben Haddal, 131, 546, 547 , 

Fahad eben Hazza‘ eben Najef eben Sa‘lan 
(d. 1905), 58, 236, 237 

Fahad eben Maghitr, 59 

Fahad eben Sbejh, poet, 205, 579, 580, 617 

Fahad’s father (or Hajes eben Meglad), 501, 
5038 

Fajez, Eben, ruling house of the Beni Sahr, 
571 

FAajez eben Gandal, 662, 663 

Faleoner coaxes a falcon by swinging a decoy, 
475, 485 

Falcons, and falconry, 31—35; and the habdéra, 
37, 570; best which find prey in fog, 171, 
615; do not return when meeting a wild 
one, 259; hejla®, swiftest, 187; hunt when 
the dew has evaporated, 615; largest species, 
615; young do not desert their prey, 199 

Falha, Bringing Good Luck, a mare’s name, 
383 : 

Fallag eben Stéwi of the as-Shejm clan of 
the al-“Amira division of the Kmusa, 427 
Fame assured by successful raids, 474, 593, 

594 
Family, ‘ajle, 50 
Fanbir abu Gabha, 615 
Farag eben Murabbet, 445 


INDEX 


Fares of the Al Garba’ family of the Sam- 
mar, 274, 275 

Farha, Joy, a mare’s name, 383 

Farhan, a Bedouin, 153 

Farhan eben Hdejb, 484, 521 

Farhtd, chief of the “Amarat, 314 

Fast in vows, 426 

Fate, [against ~ all self-help is useless, 187; 
bound up with a man, 627; changes, 627; 
eut by Allah, 345; foreordained by Allah, 
324 

Fatma bint Muhammad, 454 

Fattal, Halil, Damascus, xiii; 

Fa‘tr, Eben, of the ‘Ebede, 239 

Faz, mattock-hatchet, 66 

Fazil, Eben of the ‘Ebede division of the 
Sha‘a, 423 

Al-Fed‘an (a9—c12), 46, 58, 83, 117, 130, 253, 
288, 289, 291, 292, 308, 304, 391, 419, 420, 491, 
498, 506, 588, 5384, 558, 591, 598, 595, 597, 
600—608, 641, 648, 645, 648, 649 

Fed‘ani, a member of the Fed‘An, 83 

Fedne, a girl, 166 

Feger eben Sulhan, 403} 

Feger eben Tajjeb of the Mwahib clan, 403 

Fegr (08), 604 

Feilchenfeld, Dr. Otto, Prague, xiii 

Fejaz (or Fejjaz) 4l Mesreb, 641, 643, 645, 648 

Fejd (r15), 311, 318 

Fejhan (n18), 187, 618, 624, 626, 629 

Fejhan eben Za‘ed eben Zrejban, 182, 292, 
296—300 

Fejsal, comrade of an-Niari eben Sa‘lan, 168 

Fejsal al-“Ankari, 214—216 

Fejsal eben Najef eben Sa‘lan (d. 1864), 57, 
58, 582, 584 

Felga, wife of Fajez eben Gandal, 662 

Felladhin. See Settlers 

Fertaz, 174 

Fertez, Gaw, southwest of Hajel, 175 

Fetna, a girl, 241 

Fettering of a man to prevent him from in- 
forming his kinsmen about approaching 
raid, 619 

Fever assuaged by hyena’s gall mixed with 
water, 20 

Fhejd, a camel herdsman of Kna’, 469 

Fhejd eben Ma‘abhel, 58, 55, 56, 439 

Al-Fhejgat, a despised Arabian tribe, 136 

Fidelity can be assured only by fear of Allah, 
563 

Fingers stretched out in surprise, 114 

Fire, building of, 100; igniting depends on 
wisp, 473 

Fireplace in the men’s compartment, 66; in- 
dicates owner, 83; protected from wind by 
a narrow partition, 301. 

Firs (scented shrub resembling wormwood), 
338 

Flag replaced with tribal emblem by the 
Rwala, 571 

Fléfla (low, 
herb), 338 

Flete (Surprised) of the Rwala, 509, 643 

Flour bought not believed to be genuine, 90, 
91; eaten as lehme, 92 


dark green, strong-scented 


695 


Flush wheel, 322 

Fnejd, Eben, kin of the Rassalin clan of the 
Kmusa, have a good omen, 391! 

Fog, afraid of fox,18; éitdm,515; hears human 
beings, 18 

Food, 86—114 

Footwear, 121, 122) 

Fowzi, Al, kin of the Slejb, 648 

Fox, 28—25; and fog, 18; has a good sign, 
392; never deserts its protégés, 30 

Fractures healed by a skilful Bedouin, 668 

Franks produce good arms, 367 

Frege, clan of the Rwala, 50—52, 59, 481, 557, 
575, 648; have an unlucky sign, 391 

Fregi, member of the Frege, 134 

Frejha, Little Joy, a mare’s name, 383 

Friends not allowed to rob each other, 531, 646 

Friendship, between fighting parties, 578, 579; 
must be proved by deeds, 484, 485 

Frog, 31 

Frost, 17 

Fsejsi, bird, 40 

Fuel, 66;; gathered by the serfs, 308 

Al-Fwa‘re (di5—6), 644] 

Fzual, kin of az-Zefir, 213, 214 


Ga‘ade (Teucrium Polium, L.; scented, white, 
woolly subshrub with hanging flower heads) 
used as protection of armor against moths 
and arza borers, 538 

Ga‘bar, Kal‘at, 660 

Gabbar, a Rwejli, 659 

Gadfly, 36 

Gagea reticulata, Pall. See Sahhitim 

Géhel, a youth who is imprudent and will be 
neither advised nor remonstrated with, 536, 
653 

Gahla, camel herds of Eben Bakr, 502, 503 

Gandal, Eben, ruling house of the Swalme, 50, 
57, 2387, 280, 323, 324, 532, 552, 606, 662; chief 
judge in the Al Glas group, 427; gift of 
# must not be demanded back, 552, 663; 
renown for his protection, 491 

Garallah, chief of the “Abde in Mesopotamia, 
566—568 

Garba’, Al, ruling house of the Sammar in 
Mesopotamia, 275, 3038, 317 

Gargara, bird, 40 

Gaw. See proper name 

Gawa (m1), 415, 647 

Gazelles, 26, 27; Gwdzi never taste water, 539; 
hunted by Slejb, 325; in constant fear, 552, 
553; in the hollows of the Nefiid, 145; led 
and warned by an old goat, 176, 201, 308; 
miscarry from exhaustion, 538; thrivein the 
pure air of the desert, 201 

Gazi, Eben, of the Hwétat, 604 

Gazi abu Fanha, 650 

Gazza‘, Eben, of the “Ebede, 427 

Gbal, a Bedouin, 343 

Gdé eben Haddal, chief of the still united 
“Amarat and DahaméSe, 85 

Gdé* eben MaShir, 588, 590 

Gdejjedet ‘Ar‘ar (i-j14), 653 

Al-Geba? (n14), 650 

Gebel. See proper name 


696 


Gedel a8- Sekawi, 648 

Ged‘ a, protectors of (or al-ESage‘a), 587, 589 

Ged‘an eben Fajez eben Gandal, 521, 662, 663 

Gedii‘, a Bedouin, 361, 362 

Gedi< al- -Karah, 641, 642 

Al-Gejdar (or an-Nukra), 57, 582, 584, 585 

Gleme, 35 

Geniwa (ml1), 415 

Generosity, inherited from parents, 471; 
praised by guests, 465 

Genk, Al, of the Druses, 617, 618 

Gentility, granting of protection is a mark 
of, 443 

Gentleman, eben haldl, a man against whose 
parents there is no reproach, 345; qualities 
of, 480, 481; séheb al-margala, 52,471; sdheb 
al-mruwwa, 275, 471; walad al-haldl, an 
honest, godly man, 327 
eographical Society, Vienna, xiii 

Al-Geranijjat, Kar (08), 612 

Al-Gerawi (19), 366, 367, 617 

Gerdi, 28,29; and jerboa, 28, 29; young of 
gnawed by sabri, 40 

Gerida, a camel’s name, 335 

Al-Gezi‘a (h9), 566 

Al-Gezire, civil war among the Sammar in, 
566; a guilty kin of the Kmusa flees to, 443 

Gezza° eben Mesglad, 501, 503 

Ghar (c7), 657 

Al-Ghejr eben Swejt, 576, 577 : 

Gian eben Ibrahim eben Darer eben Zeri 
eben Mesreb, 48, 404, 405, 6583—655 

Gibb (c12), 649, 650, 656 

Gibbe worn by a wealthy Rwejlijje, 124 

Gibrin, angel, and the Rwala, 14 

Al-Gidd, K. (gl1—12), 660 

Gifts, defective » injure the giver, 313;.de- 
manded back by the giver’s heir, 236, 552, 
662; of Eben Gandal must not be demanded 
back, 663 

Gimlan, goat and sheep breeders, have an un- 
lucky sign, 391 

Ginn. See Spirits, earthly 

Giran walad Dhejjel, 414 

Girgir (Senecio coronopifolius, Desf.; herb 
with alternate leaves and heads of yellow 
flowers; species of groundsel), 95 

Girls, belong by right to their eben al-‘amm, 
137, 445, 560; encourage kinsmen in dan- 
gerous fight, 104, 105, 147, 228, 527, 540, 
560, 563, 565; escape to meet lovers, 166; 
exchanged for their father’s wife, 137; 
hindered in marriage by eben al-‘amm, 
219; in danger from earthly spirits, 413; 
in ‘Atfa litters, 214, 215; unmarried 
pregnant »threatened by death, 612, 615 

Al-Glas, valley at Hajbar, 57 

Glas, Al, division of the Zana Muslim, 46, 
427, 582, 585 

Glejdan eben Saleh eben Zeri eben Mesreb, 48 

Al-Gmejsat, kin of the Dahamse, 646 

Goat and sheep breeders. See Swéja 

Goose, depiction of, 328 

Gossip cannot be foundation for acts, 478 

Government, population on the borders of 
the desert changes according to, 45 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


Al-Gowf (m11), 52, 120, 184, 185, 205, 211, 212, 
228, 286, 291, 298, 309, 312, 320, 478, 505, 650 

Gowfan eben Sadan of the Kmusa, 405 

Al-Gowlan, unhealthful district, 666, 677 

Gr ajjed, Eben, chief of the Beni “Atijje, 610, 614 

Graves, different kinds of reverence for, 182; 
digging of, 670; hearth stones placed on « 
of women, 182; revered rarely, 417—420; 
stone-covered » filled with earth, 228 

Greeks sell good weapons, 367 

Greeting, 185; of a guest, 460, 461; of the 
commander by partakers of the raid, 510; 
of returning raiders, 538. See also Salutation 

Grejd eben Mowzan, 500 

Greyhounds, 23, 33, 34; privileged before other 
dogs, 208 

Guardian, appointed to small children, 669, 
670; appointed to daughters who inherit their 
father’s property, 665 

Guarmani, C., 58 

Al-Gaba (m11—1 12), 645, 646; flies are a real 
pest in, 666; Rwala spring pasture, 78; un- 
healthful district, 677 

Al-Gubb (or Gibb, ¢12), 499 

Gubba (p13), 146, 155, 311—313, 468, 470 

Al- -Gubejlijje in the Hawr4an, 418 

Gide, a girl, 203 

Guerilla warfare, 556 

Guest, 455—470; camel killed in honor of an 
esteemed, 214; enjoys special privileges, 47, 


267, 427; halts by the side wall of the men’s 
compartment, 73, 459; mock battle performed 
in honor of an esteemed, 214, 561; must not 
get stale bread, 92; neck of a guest’s camel 
daubed with blood of beast killed in his honor, 
467, 470; of distinction offered a she-camel 
and a mare by Eben RaSid, 309; room for 
# in settlements, 322; served with food, 
97—100; weleomed by the wife, 232; who 
yields his » to the enemy loses his honor, 
466 ; with Eben Haddal may stay eight days, 


148 
Gas, 583, 585 
Guide, familiar with the watering places ac- 
companies raiders, 509; good » knows the 
desert as well as the kata birds, 40, 643 
Gunpowder prepared by Bedouins, 226 
Gutmann, Dr. Max Ritter von, Vienna, xiii 
Gwad abu ‘Ali al-“Ani, 111, 114, 129, 168, 169, 
191, 192, 214, 217, 305, 311, 327, 328, 387, 467, 
477, 479, 481, 484 
Al-Gwejf (£7), 644, 658 


Habdri, bustards, 33, 34, 37—88, 570 

Habari, plural of Habra. See proper name 

Habra. See proper name 

Al-Habir (b12—18), 3038, 304, 559 

Haéem eben Mhejd, 602, 603 

Al-Hadab, hillock near Der‘at, 225, 227 

Al-Haddab (or Turki eben Mhejd), 595 

Haddag, well in Tejma, 599 

Haddal, Eben, ruling house of the ‘Am4rat, 
131, 148, 177, 415, 522, 546, 547, 574, 636 

Al-Hadedijjin, 602 “ 

Al-Hadi eben al-‘Asi, 566—570 

Al-Hadita (j6), 416 


INDEX 


Hadlan, a Bedouin, 221 

Al-Hafagi, Kasr, 154, 155, 243, 244, 414. See 
also Ahejzer, Kasr eben 

Hafagzi eben an-Niri eben Sa‘lan, 244 

Hager eben Megwel of the Rwala, 471 

Hagsas, kin of the Weld ‘Ali, 587, 589 

Haggas, Eben, commander of Eben RaSid, 
579, 580 

Al-Hagm (i10), 418 

Hair, 115—117; arrangement of girls’, 118, 
560; braids adorn girls’, 118, 562; braids 
adorn vain Bedouins’, 116, 564, 568; braids 
praised as an ornament, 148—145, 174, 175, 
177—179, 190, 209, 225, 226, 272, 553, 560—563; 
dyed yellow with henna, 124, 211, 553; fair 
rare, 553; loosened and braided, 175; shaved 
on the top of the head, 248; washed in 
camel’s urine, 117, 118 

Hajbar, 57, 85, 513 

Hajel (q14), 57, 175, 184, 185, 227, 228, 301, 
302, 305, 309, 312, 469, 505, 635 

Hajel eben Gandal, 532 

Hajes eben Meslad, 106, 502, 503 

Halaf, a Bedouin, 218 

Halaf abu Hatlén, 650, 651 

Halaf 4l Iden eben Zejd, 236—238, 595—597, 
599, 617, 618, 663 

Halaf al-Flejhi, 662, 663 

Al-Halat, region northwest of Tejma, 604 

Haled, Beni, tribe of al-Hasa’, 214 

Haled eben Sattam eben Hamad eben Sa‘lan, 
58, 595 254 

Halifa, a Bedouin, 177 

Halimoenemis pilosa, Moq. See Kalsa 

Haloxylon articulatum, Cav. See Rimt 

Hama’ (bd), 180, 181, 814, 315, 657 

Al-Hamad (d9—i10), 17, 26, 39, 69, 78, 223, 
275, 345, 397, 415, 418, 584, 594, 600, 604, 
613, 638, 647, 666, 677 

Hamad eben Bnejje, military leader of the 
Rwala, 58 

Hamad eben ‘Ejde, 656 

Hamad eben Najef eben Sa‘lan, 57, 220 

Hamad al-Hnejdi, 217 

Hamad al-Wléd‘i (or al-Wahbi), Eben, 280 

Hamamde, kin of the Weld ‘Ali, 587, 589 

Al-Hamamid, subdivision of al-Ka‘az‘a, 631, 
632 

Hamdan, nephew of Bargas eben MaShir, 58 

Hami Rarif, 227, 228 

Hammad al-H4wi, chief of the Sararat, 366, 

Hamme (all), 304 [867 

Hamsijja bint Fare’ of the Sba‘a, 425 

Hamsis (Rumex lacerus, Balb,; kind of sor- 
rel), 95 

Hamz, best. camel pasture, 82, 83, 337, 338 

Hands dyed with henna, 144 

Hangar, Eben, of the Flete, 643 

Harb, chief of the Beni ‘Atijje, 610, 613 

Harb, tribe, 634; allow the guest to leave the 
tent at any time, 464 

Hare, 27, 28, 338, 34 

Harfts, a Bedouin, 159 

Hadrra (Sisymbrium Irio, L.; Sisymbrium 
irioides, Boiss.; high species of hedge 
mustard), 95 


697 


Harra, lava territory, 273 

Harran, a Bedouin, 146 

Harras, an ‘Ebedi, 496—498 

Hartfa, a camel’s name, 335 

Harun ar-Rashid (Hartn ar-RaSid, 786-809), 315 

Al-Hasa’, Beni Haled camp in, 214; oceupied by 
Turkish troops in 1871, 184 

Hasan, a Bedouin, 241 

Hasan, Beni, tribe, 387, 631 

Hasan, Eben. See ‘Abdallah eben Hasan 

Hasan Pasha, 587, 589 

Al-Hass (a6), 391, 491 

Al-HaSsabijje (k8—9), 603 

Hatib teaches religion and leads prayers, 306 

Haw‘a (or al-Hawa, m12—13), 54 

Al-Hawazem, despised tribe of Arabia, 136, 
282, 404, 405 

Al-Hawéga (09), 583 

Hawi, Eben, of the Sararat, 603, 660 

Hawran, Gebel (g—h5—6), 50, 138, 167, 191, 
194, 205, 227; 228, 239, 266;.317, 820, 415, 418, 
491, 532, 556, 565, 574, 577, 580, 584, 620, 631, 
657, 660 

Hawt persecutes moon and sun, 2 

Hawwa, variety of semh, 93, 95 

Haza‘el (or Haz‘al), tribe, 199 

Al-Hazb (al-Hazb al-Bajaz, r8, and al-Hazb 
al-Hamar, r—s8), 329 

Al-Hazel, 20, 578 

Al-Hazim (i6), 637 

Al-Hazimi (¢14), 648 

Hazmijje, a woman of the Hawazem tribe, 404 

Al-Hazra, in Africa, 5; (p18), 419 

Hazza°, Eben (an-Niri eben Sa‘lan), 610, 614 

Hazza‘° eben NAajef eben Sa‘lan Abu-n-Niri, 
58, 397, 398, 418, 577, 578, 584 

Hazza* eben Swejt, 576, 577 

Hbejran of the ‘Abdelle, 651 

Hdejb, Eben, ruling house of the ‘Ebede, 423, 
643 

Hdejb, Zelib (112—13), 650, 653 

Hdejja, kite, 35 

Head, bare when going to battle, 247; cover- 
ing sumbar, 124; kerchief for men, 119, 120; 
kerchief for women, 123; kerchief serves as 
a veil, 518 

Hearths of inner Arabian towns, 113 

Heat, 17; at its highest between one and three, 
189; at noon makes air quiver, 220; rest 
favored when ~ at its highest, 209 

Al-Hebdani. See Mehda’ al-Hebdani 

Al-Hebeke (m16), 57 

Hedgehog, 28; and fox, 24, 25 

Al-Hegaz, Jews camped in, 329 

Al-Hegijje, 653, 655 

Hegin (bushy subshrub with thin branches, 
small leaves and flowers), 338 

Heglan, chief of a Durman kin, 633, 634 

Al-Hegr (s7), 584 

Al-Hejl (£8, d8—9, c10), 649 

Al-Hejl, Radir (h16), 356 

Hejran eben Meslet, 652 

Al-Helal (or al-Helali), Riglet (k14, j14—15), 
621, 654, 655 

Hell, 675 

Helmer, Abbot Gilbert, Tepla, xiii 


698 


Hemorrhoids, remedy for, 36 

Hemri, dry grasses, 338, 369 

Henna, hair, nails, and palms dyed with, 124, 
145, 211 

Henwa (Calendula aegyptiaca, Desf.; Calen- 
dula micrantha, Boiss,; a species of mari- 
gold), 338 

Al-Herbid eben Swejd, 322 

Herdsmen, 336; milk camels, 88; supper, 
341; unsatisfactory » should be dismissed, 
233 

Al-Heri (one of the Se‘iban al-Herijjan), 274, 
275, 419, 596 

Al-Heri abu-r-Ruzuma, 649 

Al-Herijjan (e11), 594, 648 

Hermon, 227, 228, 587, 589 

Al-Herr (m16, i—j17—18), 579, 580] 

Al-Herr abu Zowr (al-Herr, i—j17—18), 636 

Hesma’” (m2—p4), 17 

Hips admired, 70, 143, 145, 174 

Hit (e17), 269, 278, 314, 315, 420 

Hkejsat, clan of the Beni Sahr, 612, 615 

Hlejs eben Maleé, 648 

Hmar abu ‘AwwéAd, 4, 82, 106, 147, 182, 184, 
189, 214, 217, 244, 271, 275, 297, 299, 801, 303, 
305, 311, 322, 327, 328, 384, 466, 467, 477, 478, 
484, 567, 579, 580, 588, 588, 592, 613, 614, 636 

Hmid, a Bedouin, 208, 565; a Dahmaii, 326 

Hmitd eben Me‘gel, 582, 584, 585 

Hmid eben ‘Obejd eben Ra3id, 305 

Homesickness expressed in poem, 309—313 

Homs (c5), 180, 181, 422, 533, 657 

Honesty. See Countenance, Name 

Honor, in ~ of a youth ash-gray ostrich 
feathers are fastened to his spear, 551; 
man of ~ will rather die than allow his 
camel to be captured, 547; motive of char- 
ity, 451 

Hoopoe, 40 

Al-Hor (i9—j10), 223, 594, 599, 600; Rwala 
winter pasture, 78 

Horasan, cast steel from, 133 

Horses, 371—388; captured by the slaves go 
to their master, 629; colts belong to their 
mother’s breed, 372, 385; colts thrown away 
before a raid, 575; desired by youths, 514, 
515; good » known throughout the desert, 
386; good qualities, 159, 513, 554, 559; in 
fight, 152; lock of hair from each captured 
mare is cut and hung up in tent, 539; 
mares not allowed to be covered before a 
fight, 516, 546, 575; never shared in a raid, 
but belong to the captor, 510, 511; prepared 
for a raid, 508; protected from cold by the 
agelle blankets, 566; pure blood not of much 
importance with the Fed‘an, 288; reserved 
pastures for, 309; returned home from a 
raid stained with blood of their riders are 
sold, 395; ridden on short raids in rabi‘, 508; 
saddle cover, 155; saddles from captured « 
belong to blacksmiths, 281, 282; seldom given 
camel’s milk, 521; shoes with nails bent in- 
ward, 548; shown water to increase their 
thirst, 649; shy on hearing an alarm cry, 
559; stallion more enduring than the mare, 
519; stop in a gallop by pulling up the reins 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


short, 545; stray » caught during a raid 
are handed over to the commander, 510; tail 
hair of young mares clipped ‘or eut off en- 
tirely, 632; the more enduring the {tougher 
is the flesh to the right and left of the root 
of the tail, 386; thoroughbred ~ enjoy fight, 
515; two halters, 590; white mare is a good 
omen, 392; whose eyeballs vanish in a white 
circle favored, 83; with square heads used 
in breeding, 585 

Hospitality, 455—470; important for good rep- 
utation, 483, 487; indicated by a blazing 
fire in an open tent, 154; indicated by tent 
built in an easily accessible place, 154; in- 
dicated by the extent of the heap ‘of ashes, 
66; ought to be unaffected, 105 

Hossa bint Haddal, 574—577 

Host responsible for his guest, 462, 464, 465 

Hour unknown, 4 

Household utensils, 69, 70 

Howmat (or al-Howme, p15—16), 612, 616 

Howse, a girl, 223] 

Al-Hrasa, clan of the Fed‘an, 643] 

Hrejmis, Eben, of the Fed‘an, 650 

Hréra, Abu (a8), 660 

HreSe, clan of the Ahl ‘Isa, 611, 615 

Al-Hsajde (j6), 641 

Al-Hsej (j14), 653 

Al-H8ejbi, Seb (n19), 619, 624, 626 

Hsejjan eben Mnezzel eben Nims, 496 

Hsejni of the Rfedejkin, 406 

Hsén (Husejn ibn ‘Ali ibn Abi Taleb), 403 

Al-Hsene, 57, 272, 552, 644 

Htejl, a Bedouin, 518} 

Htejm, collective name for despised tribes, 
136, 278, 332, 610, 614; pay hiwa, protection 
tax, 60 

Hubejrat. See proper name 

Al-Hufejjer (d6), 658 

Al-Hufhaf, 184 

Al-Htg (n8), 25, 582, 583 

Al-Hitl (p—aQ), 604 

Hulfa bint Hlejf 41 Hdére3 of the Sha‘a, 422 

Human body, names of the different {parts 
of, 115 

Human figure, outlines ‘of, zowl, 206 

Humbejz (or hammejz; Emex spinosus, L.; 
a species of sorrel), 95] 

Al-Hunfa (p9—q10), 368, 604 

Hunger feared, 86) 

Husband in the first year of his married life 
ought not to accompany a raid, 508 

Al-Hwejmat (h8), 650 

Hwejsan, kin of the Kmusa, 652 

Hwejsan, kin of the Rassalin clan, have an 
unlucky sign, 391 

Hwer, Kasr (b10), 647 

Al-Hwétat (12—n6), 136, 279, 291, 292, 398, 447, 
6038, 605, 612—614, 640, 658 

Hwéti, member of the Hwétat, 448, 610 

Hyena, 20; a good omen, 392; young ostriches 
protected against, 39 

Hezdri’, bird, 41 

Hzejl ar-Ru‘Ggi, 599, 600 

Al-Hzejri from the southern territory, 385, 386 

Hzéra, 179, 193 


INDEX 


Hzéran (g17), 653 
Hztm, a Bedouin, 520 


Ibex, 25, 26 

Iblis, is not dead, 297; leads on the road of 
sin, 297; seduces man, 297; tempts every 
beloved one, 181, 182 

Ibrahim eben Darer eben Zeri eben Mesreb, 48 

‘Id, a DahmaiSi, 84; a Rwejli, 103 

‘Id, Eben, camel breed, 359 

‘Ida, a3-Sarrdbi’s mare, 384, 385 

Iden, Al, kin of the Rwala, 289 

Iden, Umm (j8), 345 

Impotency, malas flesh as cure for, 42 

India, camels and horses sold to, 214; imita- 
tion of an English military gun imported 
from, 132; wandering dervishes from, 327; 
wholesale camel merchants live in, 278 

Infants. See Children 

Ingratitude disagreeable to Bedouins, 116 

Inheritance, 662—665; of an only married 
daughter, 446, 447 

Ink, preparation of, 112, 175, 320 

Inkstand in the inner Arabian towns, 112 

Interest for credit 25 per cent in five months 
must be paid at once in cash, 269 

Invitation to meal accompanied by the gire 
oath of the slave RaSed, 539 

Irak, camels sold in, 348; commercial rela- 
tions of ‘Anejza with, 112; culprit from ~ 
seeks shelter with the Kmusa, 500; Hossa 
ealls for aid in, 574; al-Kmusa camped in, 
656; al-Kwaébe clans emigrated to, 58; large 
territory in owned by Sa‘diin al-ASkar, 
618; Rwala prohibited from migrating to, 
519; trade caravans from~ to Syria, 272, 
308; wandering dervishes join moving 
clans in, 327; wheat imported from, 467 

‘fsa, Al, wholesale firm trading in camels, 
279. See also Ahl ‘Isa 

Iskandertina (Alexandretta), 184 © 

Isldm, ecstasy, 401, 408, 411; protection of 
God, 400 

Islam considered weak because it cannot free 
the settlers from their miseries, 479 

Itinerant merchant, 61, 269; accompanies the 
Bedouins the whole year through, 125; called 
Kubejsi, originated from al-Kubejsa, 269, 
270; called Rhejbawi, originated from ar- 
Rahba, 125; galldb exchanges goods for 
camel’s hair, traveling bags, ete., 142; 
praises a chief, his protector, 273—275; 
searches after lost articles, 454 


Jacob, patriarch, 305, 306 

Al-Jakin. See ‘Agel al-Jakin 

Jatob, Gaw (rl14), 357 

Jerboa and gerdi, 28, 29; gnawed by sabri, 40 

Jewelry, liked by women, 124, 175, 204; nose 
rings, 124, 150, 204, 261, 564; rings above 
the ankles, 111, 150, 174—176, 211 

Jews first bred camels, 329, 330 

Jidda, arms brought from, 132 

Joseph, son of patriarch Jacob, 197, 306 

Judges, hereditary, 426, 427 

Judgments kept in mind, 431 


699 


Judicial decision, about the inheritance of a 
married daughter, 447; in a dispute about 
a bride, 445, 446 

Judicial procedure, 426—437 

2 


Jisef eben Mgejd, poet, 272, 5838, 630 

K. Abbreviation for Kulban. See proper name 

Al-Ka‘aka‘, judge of the Al Glas, 427. See 
also Ka‘ka‘ 

Al-Ka‘ara (e12), 28, 4138, 449, 6388 

Ka‘az‘a, clan of the Rwala, 396, 577,578, 606; 
have a good omen, 391 

Kabsan, ridge in the “Atejbe territory, 295, 298 

Kahatan of the “Aneze, 46, 52 

Kajem ar-Ru‘agi, 599 

Kaka anol 

Kalsa(Halimocnemis pilosa, Moq.;small, bushy, 
gray, woolly herb with thin, prickly leaves), 

Kandara, heavy bird, 39 [338 

Al-Kara (m12), 247 

Al-Ka‘ra. See Al-Ka‘ara 

Karabacek, Dr. Joseph Ritter von, Vienna, xiii 

Al-Karari, war leader of the Sba‘a, 566 

Kardas, Eben, of the ‘Ebede, 447, 448, 497, 498 

Karraét (Allium atroviolaceum, Boiss.; garlic 
with bluish-purple flowers), 95 

Kart. See proper name 

Al-Kasim, 112, 278, 279, 314, 315 

KaSmerijje (or RaSmerijje), a girl, 186 

Kasr. See proper name 

Kasr. See proper name 

Kasr, description of, 160 

Kata’, 39,40; and the Bedouins, 40; fly suddenly 
from the rider, 363: nest in low plains cov- 
ered with luxuriant grasses, 328 

Kataf (Atriplex, L.; subshrub with small droop- 
ing, yellowish flowers), 338 

Katra, bird, 39 

Al-Kawda, camel herds of Eben Mesreb, 659, 660 

Kazkdz (Salsola inermis, Forsk.; subshrub with 
grayish leaves.and small flowers), 338 

Kazzijje bint Wahif, 205 

Kbejsat, itinerant merchants, 61. See also Ku- 
bejsat 

Al-Kdejm (b8—9), 648 

Al-Kejsima (n17—18), 629 

Kerajat al-Meleh, settlements in WAadi Sirhan, 
666, 677 

Al-Kerak, 50 

Kerbela (pronounced Karbala by the Rwala, 
220), 155, 449, 521, 522 

Khejsan, a Bedouin, 221 

Kin, assures happiness, 192; bearing a bad 
omen, 391, 392, 509; bearing a good omen, 
391; bound to mutual protection both ageres- 
sive and defensive, 489; camps together, 160; 
does not include maternal relatives, 545; ex- 
planation of, 48, 49; head of, 47—49; helps 
its oppressed member, 451, 452; includes sec- 
ond cousins, 503 

Klejb, servant of Drejjem az-Zulmawi, 468 

Klinger, Jindfich, Prague, xiii 

Kmasi, member of the Kmusa, 412 

Al-Kmusa, division of the Sba‘a (d6—10), xiii, 
180, 391, 405, 427, 448—445, 447, 473, 496, 499, 
534, 535, 641, 648, 660 


700 


Kna’ (q138), 299, 467, 469, 470 

Knejne, a girl, 170 

Al-Knéne (020), 346 

Koelpinia linearis, Pall. See Lahjat at-tejs 

Al-Kowm (b9), 60, 649 

Kraje, Habra (p10), 604 

Al-Krejjat, settlements in al-Giba, 447, 645 

Krejtan eben al-Ham, 446, 447 

Ksejbre (Pimpinella arabica, Boiss.; Pimpi- 
nella puberula, DC.; anise-like plant), 95 

KSa8 (Chased Away) of the ‘Abdelle, 509 

Al-Kubejsa (e17), 125, 269, 275 

Kubejsat, itinerant merchants, 61, 269, 270 

Kubejsi, itinerant merchant, 12550 12740269, 
270, 454 

Kubejsi Bardadi, itinerant merchant of Bag- 
dad, 125 

Kublan, Eben, kin of the al-Hsene division 
of the Weld “Ali, 552, 553 

Kudrijje, 148, 171 

Al-Kafa (h20), 210 

Kuftan eben Hamed of the Beni Sahr, 471 

Kar, plural of Kara. See proper name 

Al-Kar, Ab- (j16), 646 

Kurb dangerous to camels big with young, 
333 

Kurdi eben Sa‘lan, 243, 244, 597 

Kurdish soldiers, 587—589 

Kurds, 589 

Kurrés (Trigonella hamosa, L.; bean-like an- 
nual), 95 

Kurta, beast of prey similar to wildeat, 20 

Kusman, people from al-Kasim, 315; terri- 
tory (al-Kasim), 469 

Kat bint a8-Srejfi, 55, 56 

Kutejn (or ztejjen; mallow-like herb), 128 

Kutne, camel herds of the Fed‘an, 516, 558, 
599 

Al-Kwaébe of the Kahatan, 52—56, 58, 162, 
250, 286, 509, 570, 593, 604, 613; recognize 
an-Niuari as their head, 506 

Kwéébi, member of the Kwaébe, 134 

Kwééeb, Al, settles disputes pertaining to 
blood vengeance in the Al Glas group, 427 

Al-Kwejt, arms brought from, 132, 280; 
camels sold in, 279 

Al-Kzej‘i, 34 


Lackenbacher Fund of the Theological Fa- 
culty of the University, Vienna, xiii 

Laha (h—ill), 415, 658 

Lahad, a Bedouin, 167 

Lahjat at-tejs (Koelpinia linearis, Pall.; an- 
nual with thin, upright stalks bearing 
little heads of yellow flowers), 95 

Lam, Beni, 188, 367 

Lamltim, settlement in Irak, 82, 83 

Latifa bint Lifa, 177, 178 

Lawsuits, 427—435; about paternity, 236—238 

Leather vessels, 71, 91 

Lepidium sativum, L. See Resdd 

Al-Lhejb, tribe, 239 

Al-Libben (i3), 605, 606 

Liechtenstein, the reigning Prince Johann 
von, Vienna, xiii 

Lifa, Eben, a Bedouin, 177 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


Life, destroyed by the sun, 1, 2; lengthened 
or shortened by Slejb women, 406; regulated 
by the moon, 1 

Al-Lifijje (117), 648 

Lightning, and thunder, origin of, 5, 6; dan- 
gerous in the desert, 210; as a guide to 
regions where rain has fallen, 146, 147 

Line (019), 413, 626 

Litters, kenn, 68, 70, 81; Zetab, 68, 69, 74, 75, 
77, 160, 197, 250, 252, 265 

Lizard, 42, 43; ba‘ersi, effects of bite of, 42 

Al-Lmat (f12—13), 389, 648 

Locks, 112 

Locusts, preparation and storing, 93, 94; young 
* crawl on each other, 112, 113, 577 

Loom, 68 

Al-Losof (i18), 656 

Lost animal returned for a reward, 414 

Lost articles, 453; keeping of » punished, 454 

Lotus angustissimus, L, See Zrejze 

Lotus Gebelia, L. See Zrejée 

Love, awakened or smothered by Slejb women, 
406; compared with thirst, 156; declaration 
of, 135, 186; ditties and poems, 140—228; for 
married women, 168—170; foundation of 
marriage, 230; recognized, 135 

Lovers, dead » lamented, 186—199; separators 
of » punished by Allah, 168 

Lubbéna (Stachys affinis, Fres.; Stachys Mu- 
sili, Vel.; subshrub with dense hairy branches 
and small red flower racemes; of the mint 
family), 95 

Lubde at Hajel, 635 

Lycium arabicum, Schw. See ‘Awseg 


Ma‘an (13), 584 

Al-Ma‘aser (k8—9), 603 

Al-Maémen, Z. (h17), 655 

Mad dog, man bitten by, 326, 669 

Al-Ma‘ejzile, Te‘es (018—19), 619 

Al-Magna (h12), 658 

Maha’ bint HaSman, 46 

MajkiS (m9), 360, 361, 616, 617 

Malak, celestial spirit, 411 

Malas, reptile, 42 

Malhtd kin of the Méelli clan of the Fed‘an 
have a good omen, 391 

Mamdth eben Sattém eben Hamad eben Sa‘lan, 
585.235, 255 F 

Mamdth Pasha, commander of Turkish troops 
fighting the Druses in the Hawran, 556 

Mandh. See War 

Manah az-Zirén, Battle-camp of the Two Star- 
vations (war between ar-Rwala and al-Kwaé- 
be), 56 

Al-Manazer (e7—e12), 26 

Mane* eben Durmi, 488 

Al-Mangir, ford on the Euphrates, 636 

Manka‘ ar-Rahba (f6—7), 660 

Manstr, earthly spirit changed into a hedge- 
hog, 414 

Manstr eben Sattam eben Sa‘lan, 616 

Mantle, the most important part of dress, 120; 
light woollen, mezwi, 158 

Marches, length of, 76; lengthy « always made 
on camels, 349 


INDEX 701 


Mared, 299 

Mares. See Horses 

Al-Markab, 571, 573, 574; protected, 624, 625; 
sacred, must not be lost, 625. See also Abu- 
d-Dhtr 

Market place, center of all news, 580; in 
inner Arabia, 113 

Marmot, 28 

Marriage, against the will of the eben al- 
‘amm impossible, 208, 225; duty of every 
healthy man, 185; for love, 135, 322, 323: 
of a squeamish fellow, 344; with black- 
smiths and slaves forbidden, 138, 278, 282; 
with unrelated girl not favored, 200 

Married couple, quarrels among ~ forbidden, 
234 

Married life, first year of ~ is not favorable 
to important ventures, 508 

Married woman, cannot vow an animal with- 
out her husband’s permission, 421; dissatis- 
fied with her husband longs for other men, 
tamth, 324, 344, 469, 475, 513, 554, 557; 
for whom her husband has paid in full may 
be killed, 495, 498; may have her own estate, 
665; inconveniences her brother, 494; in- 
herits two she-camels from her father, 
664; in love with another ought to be set 
free, 238, 239; loves other men, 150, 168, 
238; material good or evil of concerns her 
kin, 494; moral offences of ~ concern her 
husband, 494; rights of, 230, 231; that has 
been raped avenged by death of the man, 
499. See also Wife, Woman 

Ma‘raf, a8-Sejh, 314, 315 

Ma‘raf eben Mesreb, 48 

Mas‘an eben Bakr, 502, 503 

Mashtr, Eben, 280 

Mashtr eben MerSed, 656 

MaSlan eben a8-Srejfi, 53, 54 

Mas‘td as-Sbejhi, 152 

Matar, a Bedouin, 244 

Al-Mazari*® (g10), 650 

M4zi, Eben, of the Ahl ‘Isa, 434, 660 

Mbarek eben Hwémel, seer, 7 

Mdahrag, feddwi, 166 

Meadows, rijdz, 226 

Meals, 86, 87 

Meats, 96, 97 

Mecca, “Atejbe camp east of, 264, 628; Grand 
Sherif of, 386; henna bought from, 124; 
negro children brought from, 276; Pilgrim 
Road from Damascus to, 226; a sherif 
from, 484; small plate from, 69; transport 
of supplies and pilgrims to, 584; wandering 
dervishes go to, 327 

Medajen Saleh (s7), 584 

Medbar eben ‘Abdallah, 443, 444 

Al-Medina, ‘Atejbe camp east of, 264, 628; 
negro children brought from, 276; a sherif 
from, 484; transport of supplies and pil- 
grims to, 584; wandering dervishes go to, 
327 

Me‘gel, Eben, ruling house of al-Esage‘a, 50, 
57, 280, 449, 589,°595, 602, 621, 622, 643 

Me‘gel eben “AmSa of the Drejb kin of the 
Kmusa, 499 


Meglad, Eben, ruling house of the Dahamie, 
570, 619, 620, 622, 626, 628, 630, 646 

Megwel eben Mesreb, 500 

Mehda’ al-Hebdani, 288, 591—593, 598, 600 

Mehi of the Frege, 52, 53 

Mehir, Eben, kin of the Sba‘a, 423 

Mehsen Rahisarrth, chief of the ‘Ebede, 180 

M‘ejdi, a Bedouin, 156 ns 

Melhem, Eben, ruling house of al-Hsene, 57, 272 

Men, caring for women despised, 568, 569; 
divided according to their qualities, 385, AT2, 
488; have to conform themselves to their 
surroundings, 477 

Menzel eben Durmi, 588 

Merchants, big ~ incamps, 270, 278—281 ; profit 
of~in hands of Allah, 273 

Merdeg, Eben, of the Sirhan, 596 

MerSed, Eben, ruling house of the Kmusa, 418, 
535, 6438, 648 

MerSsed eben Barri eben Darer eben Zeri eben 
Mesreb, 48 

MeSa‘el bint Sattam eben Sa‘lan, 249, 250 

Al-Mesa‘id, tribe, 576, 577, 681 

Al-Mesalih, 396, 397 

Mes‘an an-Nsejri, 618 

Al-MeSare‘, tavern on the Bagdad-al-Ambar 
road, 314, 315 

Mesehh ar-rizgan, hawk, 35 

Mesembryanthemum Forskahlei, Hochst. See 
Semh 

Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum. L. See Semh 

MeShen, ‘Aklat (j18), 656 

MeShen eben ‘AllGs of the al-MwAajge clan of 
the ‘Ebede, 432, 433 

Mesopotamia, ford called mahdéza in southern, 
484; Sammar in, 274, 316, 317, 551 

Mesreb, Al or Eben, 48, 641, 651, 658 

Al-MeSrefe (a6), 535 

Met‘eb, a Bedouin, 472 

Met‘eb al Hadab, 567 

Met‘eb walad Kurdi, 220 

Meteorite, crushes everything upon which it 
falls, 275; origin of, 6,7; pieces of » preserved 
as keepsakes, 226 

Metkal, a native of Irak, 500 

Metkal eben Sa‘id, 427 

Me‘zel eben “Ekla’ of the Mwahib, 413 

MeZhem eben Gandal, 368 

Mezjed (or Melhem), Eben, ruling house of 
the Hsene, 644 

Mgejd, Eben, of the ‘Abdelle, 57, 280, 449, 595 

Al-Mgelli, clan of the Fed‘an, 391 

Al-Mhadi, a Fregi, 480, 481 

Mhammad eben Sa‘id, 427 

Mhammad eben Turki, 503 

Mhammad al-Kazib, 182, 184, 212, 214, 216, 217, 
202914299, OUL» 300,000; 015, O17, 322. 962, 
467, 634 

Mhanna eben Hmitd eben ‘Obejd eben RaSid, 305 

Mhartit (Scorodosma arabica, Vel.; scented 
herb with long root, tall stem, deecompound, 
hairy leaves, and many yellow flowers), 95, 
338 

Al-Mhata, 626 

Mhejd, Al or Eben, ruling house of the Fed‘an, 
58, 498, 594 


702 


Mhejmed, a Bedouin, 144 

Al-Mhejzer (k8), 366, 367 

Al-Midan (c6), 533 

Midsummer, camps erected in lowlands in, 
164; pastures in, 584 

Midwives unknown, 243 

Migrating laden pack camels led by women, 
199 

Migrating tribe, troop leading. See Salaf 

Migration, chief assures safety of, 625; direc- 
tion of » uncertain, 163, 165; into the inner 
desert, 205; separates lovers, 162, 163, 
165—167; to the settled country, 162, 205; 
of the ‘Amarat and DahamSe to the 
settled country, 309; of the Fed‘an to the 
settled country, 559; of the Sammar to the 
settled country, 210; when pasture is rich, 
165 

Migwel, Al or Eben, 281 

Migwel, RgGm (m13), 646 

Migwel al Migwel, 53 

Al-Mihlef, group of the Al Glas, 581 

Al-Mijadin (b13), 499, 652, 660 

Al-Mijah, S. (d11), 420, 443, 641, 648, 652 

Milhak, kin of the SwAlme clan, 436 

Military leader, 506, 507; endangers the 
ruling house, 50, 51, 507; takes over the 
functions of the head chief, 544 

Mills, 91 

Mindil al-Kat‘i, 95, 116, 170, 178, 198, 194, 199, 
271, 361, 362, 365, 367, 466, 481, 599, 617, 633, 
6388—640, 673 

Al-Minkat (g6, h7), 657 

Al-Minsar (b9), 649 

Minwer al Tajjar, 585 

Mirage, 18, 19 

Mi8‘al eben Sattaém eben Hamad eben Sa‘lan, 

Miserfe, a girl, 219 i [58 

Misery feared, 189 

Misfortune, forgiveness invoked on hearing 
Of eLi2 

Misref eben Hrejmis, 661 

MisSref eben Kurdi, 234, 235 

Miz‘el abu Matar, called ahu Za‘éla, 625 

Mkat eben Gandal, 436, 437 

Mkatta‘, bird, 41 

Mléoch, Dr. Melchior, Olomoue, xiii 

Mléha, a camel’s name, 335 

Mlehit ar-ra‘jén, bird, 40 

Al-Mlosi, Bijar (e12), 630, 649, 653 

Mnahi eben Dabbar, sorcerer, 402, 403 

Mnezzel eben Nims, 496—498 

Mnife bint Sattaém eben Sa‘lan, 248, 263 

Mock battle, trdd al-hejl, performed in honor 
of an esteemed guest, 561 

Modesty needed, 476, 477 

Mole, 31 

Months, individual » unknown, 4; names of, 
12 

Moon, 1—4; and life, 1; and stars do not 
shine in regions where Allah sends men 
who have sinned against their tribe, 342 

Moral precepts, 481—487 

Morejra, Gaw (m12—13), 54, 55 

Al-Morrebi, Turkish officer, 519 

Mosul, 197, 275 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


Moth, 31 

Mother, cares most for a son, 421; denounces 
son who fled from fight, 54; esteem o£ in- 
creased by a baby boy, 254 

Mourning, for fallen raiders, 539, 540; for 
relatives, 162, 163, 201, 616; girl must not 
cry in the tent, 163; of female relatives for 
a dead man, 489; of a wife, 629; restricted, 671 

Mouse, 29, 30; and eat, 30, 31 

Al-Mra’, Wadi or Se‘ib (h13), 220 

Mré%i, variety of partridge, 40 

Al-Mrejr (112), 645, 646 

Mrétbe near the settlement of Nefi, 181, 182 

Al-Mriza, Provoking, a mare’s name, 383 

Al-Mrtg, near Damascus, 582, 584 

Msa‘ (Nitraria tridentata, Desf.; shrub with 
white branches, wedge-shaped leaves, hard 
spines, small, yellowish flowers, and sweet 
fruit, tel°), 95 

MSa‘ (Scorzonera, L.; with long, narrow leaves 
and stalks bearing single heads of yellow 
flowers), 95 

Al-MSas (19), 650 

Msejjeb, Eben, of the Mseke, 496, 497 

Al-Mseke, kin of the ‘Ebede, 417, 496 

Mselli, a girl or a region in Negd, 146 

Al-MSowbeS, a Fregi, 575 

Mtejje, a girl, 222 

Al-Mtejr, tribe, 182, 184, 299, 384 

Al-Mtejrat, nickname of the Mtejr, 612 

Muhammad abu Tajeh, 613 

Muhammad 4l (or eben) Mhelhel, 154, 288, 592 

Muhammad eben ‘Abdallah eben RaSid 
(1869—1897), 306, 308, 309, 356, 357, 577—579 

Muhammad eben ‘Ali, Prince in Hajel, 57 

Muhammad eben ‘Arfes 4l ‘Ali, 309, 311—313 

Muhammad eben Dihi eben Smejr, 57, 58, 534, 
548, 544, 546, 557, 565, 580-—582, 584, 587—589, 
591—593 

Muhammad eben Harb, 613 

Muhammad eben Hazza‘ eben Najef eben Sa‘- 
lan, 58, 627 

Muhammad al-Kazi of ‘Anejza, 111 

Al-Muntifez, tribe, 46, 320, 557, 618, 624, 625, 
635; carry a flag on all their raids, 625 

Al-Murabba‘a (d11), 641, 642 

Murabbet, a Kmasi, 445 

Mur‘az, Al, clan of the Rwala, 51, 57, 603, 613 

Mur‘azi, member of the Al Mur‘az, 134 

Murder, cases, 485; punished by Allah, 674; 
vengeance of, 489—495 

Muriz, a Bedouin, 244 

Misa, a8-Sejh, the author, 291, 292, 645 

Mushrooms, emerge from the ground in the 
sejf season after a copious rain, 323; search 
for, 15 

Musica] ability judged according to the pound- 
ing of coffee, 101 

Musil, Alois, Arabia Deserta, xiii, 58; Northern 
Negd, xiii; Palmyrena, xiii; The Middle 
Euphrates, xiii; The Northern He@dz, xiii, 275 

Al-Mwahib, clan of the Kmusa, 403, 413, 422 

Al-Mwajge, clan of the ‘Ebede, 427, 432 


Mwiili, tribe, 602 


Mwdsal (Anarrhinum orientale, Bth.; coarse 
herb with flower thyrsus), 338 


INDEX 


Mwasserin, kin of the Rwala, 497, 498 

Al-Mwejsen (m11), 415 

Mwéne*, kin of the ‘Ebede, have an unlucky 
sign, 391 

Mzahlak of the Weld Slejman, 420 

Al-Mzérib (£4), 367, 582, 584, 666, 677 


Na‘em (i7), 641 

Nails dyed yellow with henna, 124 

Najef, Eben, 289, 628 

Najef eben ‘Abdallah eben Sa‘lan, 56, 418 

Najef az-Zu‘ejli, 569 

Name, fair ~ lost, 505, 506; fair ~ returned, 
504, 505; good» important, 483, 485 

Naser eben Me‘Sgel, 597 

Nasi (dry sobot; Aristida plumosa, L.; smooth 
grass with roots to which sand sticks, and 
winged fruit), 338, 369 

Nassar eben Mesreb, 48 

Na“tis eben “Ajde of the RassAlin clan, 408, 
409 

An-Na‘was8i, a chief of the Sardijje, 532 

Nawwaf eben Ka‘ejsis, 558, 559 

Nawwaf eben an-Niri eben Sa‘lan, 49, 185, 
234, 235, 237, 248—251, 260, 328, 383, 517, 624, 
626, 629, 688; father of, 511, 615 

Nazel eben Dihi eben Tnejjan, 356 

Nedi eben Saleh eben Zeri eben Mesreb, 48 

Nefi, settlement in Negd, 182, 295, 297299 

An-Nefid (010—p15), 21, 26, 38, 39, 42, 78, 
83, 185, 144—146, 184, 185, 205, 210, 220, 273, 
304, 345, 419, 439, 441, 467, 470, 520, 610, 612, 
616, 650, 651, 666, 677 

Negd, 51, 52,57, 147, 182, 185, 196, 264, 276, 279, 
290, 291, 296, 298, 300, 303, 320, 358, 439, 467, 
477, 577, 648; saddles of » goatskin, 363; 
waterbag of » goatskin, 358 

Negib eben Glejdan eben Saleh eben Zeri eben 
Mesreb, 48, 49 

Neighbors, or kusara, 267-269 ; constant trou- 
ble for the host, 480, 481; enjoy exceptional 
rights, 47, 267—269, 427; poems relating tc, 
AL 

N‘ejm, goat and sheep breeders, have an un- 
lucky sign, 391 

Nejtal (perennial with high stem and green, 
scented leaves), 338 

Nejtal eben “ASwan eben Mesreb, 645 

Nejtail eben Gdejjan, 444—446 

Nejttl eben Nedi eben Saleh eben Zeri eben 
Mesreb, 48 

Nhejb (h17), 653 

Nicknames given to different kins, 577 

Nights, significance of, 390; suitable for 

_ small raids, 507 

Nimr eben ‘AdwaAn, 128, 191, 193, 194, 196—199 

Nimrin, creek in al-Belka, 193 

Nira, a) sir); 292,) 223 

Nitraria tridentata, Desf. See Msa‘ 

Noah’s ark, 196 

Nobility in the veins of women, 472, 473 

Nomads, division of, 44, 45 

Nowma, Sleepy, a mare’s name, 383 

Nsejr, hero, 589 

Nsejr, Al, kin of the Al Mur‘az, 7, 6038, 610, 
6138, 618 


703 


Nstr, (vultures), 86; accompany warriors, 
542; young ostriches protected against, 39 

An-Nukra, 56—58, 78, 167, 205, 226, 368, 580, 669 

Nira, camel herds of Eben RaSid, 579, 580 

An-Nitri eben Hazza‘* eben Sa‘lan, xiii,, 4, 49, 
58, 59,. 102, 111, 182, 168, 169, 175, Past elie 
238, 248, 247, 250, 251, 253, 260, 288—292, 316, 
366, 383, 384, 386, 418, 438, AT7, 484, 502, 505, 
506, 517, 521, 567, 570, 577, 579, 581, 597, 
603—605, 6183—615, 618—621, 624—628, 630, 
632, 686, 663 

Nwa’, a girl, 155, 156 


Oath, disgraces a man, implying that his mere 
word is not believed, 427, 429; formulas of, 
429—431, 435, 460, 539; al-gehira, 430; gire 
of the slave RaSed, 589; in lawsuits, 429—431; 
al-msabba‘, 430 

“Obejd, descendants of, 642, 651 

“Obejd eben ‘Ali eben RaSid (d. 1869), 300—302 

Al-Obejjez (i113, h15, g—h17), 220, 416, 522, 653, 
657 

Odors harm wounds, 179, 668 

Oil extracted from fruit of butum trees, 95 

Al-“Okde (q14), 302 

“Oman, camels imported from, 311, 312, 332, 
588; civet, 183 

Omens, 389—3899; desired before any act of 
importance, 258, 259; desired when starting 
on a raid, 507, 512; favorable for raids, 507; 
gazelle brings bad luck, 27; given by Allah 
through the Abu-d-Dhitr, 574; invitation of 
a passer-by to eat considered good, 463; kins 
with bad, 509; man with his right and left 
upper eye-teeth missing bears misfortune, 
393; natural phenomena as, 389—395; one- 
eyed person bears bad, 393; one raven is a 
bad, 36; two ravens bring good luck, 36; 
white means success, 511 

Oppressed tribesmen emigrate and encamp as 
neighbors with other tribes, 316 

Oppressors, protection from, 451, 452 

Orejnbe (Bassia muricata, L.; white hairy herb 
covering the sand), 338 

Oriental Seminar at Charles 
Prague, xiv 

Orobanche, L. See Zebb ad-dih 

“Orzan (Misfortunates) of the Kwaébe, 509 

Ostrich, 38, 39; feathers as an ornament, 191; 
feathers entwined in the hair, 226; feathers 
fastened to the spear, 552; flees at the sight 
of man, 151, 152; hatched in the Nefid, 83; 
hunted by the Slejb, 325 

Owl, 31 


University, 


Palms dyed yellow with henna, 124, 145] 

Palmyra (c8), 38, 180, 181, 205, 345, 422 

Palmyrena, gazelle flocks'on the southern bor- 
der of, 26; raids from northern ~ to Hajbar 
or ar-Rma’ 513; route from to al-Gowf, 
185; trade caravan in, 272; white frost in, 
17; wild pig in, 28 

Panther, 20 

Parade made by warriors, before a pursuit, 
578; shouting the battle ery, 81. See also 
“Ardzga 


704 RWALA 


Paradise, 587,589, 674; rod originates in, 256; 
wide pastures in, 587, 589 

Pardon, asked and given in danger, 529; of 
enemy in fight, 578 

Pardoned enemy, 448, 529; head rope laid 
around the neck of, 140; remains in tent, 
589; selling of, 615; who escapes is con- 
sidered faithless, 449 

Partridge, 40; drinks water regularly, 39; 
mré% variety, 40 

Paternity cases, 286, 237, 4386, 437 

Patience is the key of success, 483 

Peace treaties, 570, 571, 581 

Pens. making of, 112 

Persia, arms made in, 545, camels and horses 
sold to, 214; saber made in, 631; spear blade 
brought from, 1383; wandering dervishes 
from, 327; wealth of, 191 

Persian Gulf, 130, 184, 214 

Personal qualities, 471—488; men divided 
according to, 385 

Pig, wild. 28 

Pigeons drink water regularly, 39; nest in 
old ruins, 154 

Pilgrim Road from Damascus to Mecea, 226; 
under the control of Eben Melhem, 57 

Pimpinella arabica, Boiss. See Ksejbre 

Pimpinella puberula, DC. See Ksejbre 

Pistols replaced by revolvers, 517 

Platters for serving meat, 249 

Poetry, 288—328 

Poets, not held in esteem, 283; wait for a re- 
ward, 626; works of #: “Abdallah eben 
RaSid, 303; ‘Abdallah eben Sbejjel, 297; 
‘Abejée, Eben, ra‘i Kna’, 467; ‘Ablan, 
Eben, 199; Al-“Agrafi ad-Dahmasi, 502; 
“Ali al-Hazemi, 212; “Aml0S ab-al-Wkal, 
286; al-‘Aten as-Sarari, 487; ‘Awde abu 
Burkan al-Kwéébi, 224, 225, 227; Bint 
Heglan ad-Durmi, 633; Cen‘an Al Tajjar, 
172, 175; Drejjem az-Zulmawi, 469; Fahad 
eben Sbejh, 205,579, 617; Farhtd al-‘AmAari, 
315; Fejhan eben Za‘ed eben Zrejban, 182; 
Fejsal al-“Ankari, 214; Gwad abu ‘Ali al- 
‘Ani, 169; Halaf Al Iden, 599; Hajes eben 
Meglad, 106; Hamad eben Najef eben Sa‘- 
lan, 220; al-Herbid eben Swejd as-Sing Ari, 
322; Hmitd eben ‘Obejd eben RaSsid, 305; 
al-Hzejri, 386; Jasef eben Mgejd, 272, 583, 
630; Mehda’ al-Hebdani, 288, 591; Menzel 
eben Durmi, 588; MeS‘an an-Nsejri, 6138; 
al-Mhadi al-Fregi, 481; Miz‘el ahu Za‘éla, 
625; Muhammad al Mhelhel, 288, 592; Mu- 
hammad eben ‘Arfeg al “Ali, 311; Muham- 
mad al-K4azi, 111; Nimr eben ‘Adwan, 128, 
191, 193, 194, 197; an-Nari eben Sa‘lan, 102, 
168, 291, 628; “Obejd eben RaSid, 301; Rakan 
eben Hatlén, 184; Ratit al-Fedawi, 366; Ru- 
mejzan at-Tamimi, 477; Sager ar-Rafadi, 
636; Sakkar al-Kubejsi, 275; a8-Sarrabi as- 
Singari, 384; Selim al-“Abd, 627, 629, 630; 
Zejdan ar-Rwejli, 361; az-Zujadi eben Ha- 

Poreupine, 28 [san, 387 

Possessed by earthly spirits, 398, 412; cured 
by seers, 412; woman or girl ~ must not 
marry, 413 


BEDOUINS 


Postures, different ~ of man in tent, 64 

Prayers, no call to, 625 

Pregnancy, if not visible, hindrance for im- 
mediate marriage, 236 

Princely power marked by Abu-d-Dhitr, 572 


-Property not longed for, 479 


Prophecy from the position of twenty-three 
objects, 404, 405 

Prostitutes, children of black ~ of central Ara- 
bia sold as slaves, 276 

Protection, by countenance, 438—440; by re- 
quest, 441—443; depends on the power and 
renown of a man’s kin, 440; from oppres- 
sors, 451; in danger, 519; lacked among 
strangers, 501; of animals, 448, 446; of enemy 
who voluntarily surrenders, 448; of guest, 
464, 465; of guilty kin, 490; of persecuted, 
426; of thieves, 449—451; tax causes lack of 
esteem, 136; tax paid by despised tribes, 59, 
60, 1386; tax paid by Swdaja to bedw, 45; tax 
paid by setilers, 60 

Protectors shown gratitude by raising a white 

Protégés, 30, 442 [flag, 493 

Prudence advised, 478 


Rabb, 315 

Rabi‘, 183—16; pastures in, 584 

Rabies declares itself after forty days, 326 

Rabit, Eben, of the “Ebede, 427 

Rabsa, a camel’s name, 335 

Al-Radaf (f17), 522, 596, 648 

Radir. See proper name 

Ar-Ra‘ejl, mare, 385, 386 

Raga’ eben Kurdi, 244 

Ar-Rahba, ancient town on the Euphrates, 125 

Raiders, ask protection of women and children, 
637; bargain for their lives, 647; bring sacri- 
fice on Turki eben Mhejd’s grave, 419, 420; 
cannot spend night in a large plain, 475; 
disheartened by death of their leader, 618; 
examined by girls and women on return, 556; 
home coming of, 538; invite each other to 
supper, 522; pursued, 5380; pursued ~ saddle 
the best camel and leave it to pursuers, 651; 
returning with booty welcomed by women, 
302; seattered ~ seek hospitality of the Slejb, 
649; uncertain about their supper, 207, 208 

Raids, 506—540; arrangements for attack, 596; 
destination of » kept secret, 485, 508, 509; 
without distribution of booty, 641 

Rain, 7—10; accompanied by storm at the 
close of April, 248; assures luxuriant growth 
of annuals, 542; brought by the south wind, 
266; copious « causes flood in dry channels, 
255; follows a sahdoa cloud, 469, 470; in the 
sejf season copious but not long, 323; kinds 
of, 10, 11; light and irregular ~ causes 
misery, 549; of the Pleiades gives new life 
to the grass seed, 226; ponds, 249, 580; ponds 
enable pasture in the inner desert, 584; 
prayers for, 10—13 

Rain water, accumulated in large basins and 
soaked into the ground gives rise to settle- 
ments, 300; hollows in channels known to 
the Slejb, 325; rifts in a rock filled with, 175 

Rainy periods, 7—10 


INDEX 


Rakan eben Hatlén, 1883—185 

Rakan eben Meglad, 546, 547 

Ramtan, a Bedouin, 359 

Ranem, progenitor of the Slejb, 325 

Rannam, kin of the DahamSe, 84, 85 

Rannam eben Gel‘Gd, recognized seer, 402 

Ransom offered by a fettered thief, 450 

Rarajes (19—10), 606 

Al-Rarawi, a Rwejli, 140, 141 

Rarb, settled territory, 45, 162, 167, 205, 210, 
3809, 397, 559, 568, 660, 675 

Rark, water bird, 36 

Rarra, White Fronted, a mare’s name, 383 

Rarraf, Sattam’s slave, 597, 601, 602 

Al-Rarri (£12), 648 

RaSed, gire of the slave, 539 

Rased al-Hasli, 309 

Rasem, Eben, 647 

Rasén, Abu (or Ekren, i8—9), 659 

Rasi, a Bedouin, 222 

RaSid, Eben, ruling house of the Sammar, 
184, 185, 802, 308, 309, 419, 422, 473, 505, 506, 
517, 577—579, 635; attacked by the Rwala, 397 

Rasid eben Barri eben Darer eben Zeri eben 
Mesreb, 48 

RasSmerijje (or KaSmerijje), a girl, 186 

Ar-Rasrasijje (j6—7), 641 

Rassalin (or Rasalin), clan of the Kmusa, 
391, 408 

Ratit, servant of Prince an-Niri, 366 

Ratjan walad ‘Awwéaz, 423 

Ratt‘, a mare, 518 

Ratwan eben MerSed, 445, 446, 497—499 

Raven; 36, 37; and fox, 23, 24 

Ar-Rawak (e5—d7), 25 ‘ 

Raza (tree-like bush with long, flexible 
boughs and lean, needle-shaped leaves), 
66, 110; 113; 1385, 175; 231, 388, 415. gives 
best coals, 66, 113; wisp, 473 

Razi, a Kmasi, 444 

Razi eben Sabr, 445 

Razgrdf (subshrub with long roots, dense 
branches, and rosy flowers), 3388 

Ar-Rba‘ (or ar-Rub‘), clan of the Tam4n of 
the Sammar, 518 

Rebec, 142 

Red-hot iron, burning with, 369, 382, 3838, 666, 
667; laid on the stomach, 165; licked in al- 
*Eila’, 238 

Red Sea, 292 

Ref‘a’s sisters, war ery of Eben Zejd kin of 
the Rwala, 616, 617 

Refuge, camps recognized as places of » of 
guilty kins, 491 

Reptiles, 41—43 

Resdd (Lepidium sativum, L.; species of pep- 
pergrass), 95 

Ar-Resafa (a9), 414 

Rfede, kin, 406 

Rsél, Al, of the ‘Ebede, 427 

Rstim, plural of Rism. See proper name 

Rhama, clan of the Kmusa, chief of » are re- 
cognized judges, 427 

Rhejbawi, originated from the ancient town 
of ar-Rahba, appellative of itinerant mer- 
chants, 125 


705 


Rhejbawi Bardadi, itinerant merchant of Bag- 
dad, 125 

Rhejbawijjat, itinerant merchants, 61 

Ar-Rhejbe, 31 

Rheumatism, remedy for, 36 

Rhymes give much trouble to a poet, 483 

Ribbons fastened behind a riding saddle, 158, 
292, 475 

RibSan, subdivision of al-Ka‘aZ‘a, 51, 52, 631, 
632 

Riddles, 43, 327, 328 

Rider thrown from the saddle ought to be 
helped, 542, 552 

Ar-Rifa‘ijje Order, 669 

Rifles, 131, 132; dropped »found during a 
raid are handed over to the commander, 
510; old» familiar to the owner, 226; with 
flint locks, 189 

Right when sought already lost, 585 

Riglet. See proper name 

Rigm. See proper name 

Rihdne, sweet basil, 176 

Rima, a camel’s name, 335 

Rimt (Haloxylon articulatum, Cav.; large bush 
with needle-shaped leaves and spikes of small 
whitish flowers), 338, 415; serves as fuel, 468; 
sweet juice collected, 95 

Riran al-Banat (m11), 645 

Ar-Rma’, Wadi (s19), 384, 439, 513 

Rmejh, Habra (m16), 579, 580 

Rmejh abu Gnejb eben Fajez, 605, 612, 615, 
617, 618 

Robbery, of a guest or companion punished 
by Allah, 674; of a man protected by the 
robber’s fellow tribesman punished severely, 
440 

Rorejla (Atriplex dimorphostegia, K. K.; an- 
nual with broad leaves and small green 
flowers), 95 

Rorol (Atriplex leucoclada, Boiss.; subshrub 
with resplendent leaves and small yellowish 
flowers), 338 

Rothschild, Baron Louis, Vienna, xiii 

Al-Rowr, tobacco of, 128 

Rsejd, eben al-‘amm of Rusna, 225, 226 

RSejd eben Zeri eben Mesreb, 447, 448, 660, 661 

Rsén, Tell (h7), 657 

Rstim, Al, subdivision of al-Ka‘AZ‘a, 

Rta. See Arta 

Rubahla (Scorzonera papposa, DC.; bulbous 
plant with red flowers), 95 

Rubejn, Eben, clan of the Fed‘an, 445, 446, 
662; known for his protection, 491 

Ruhman, Eben (or ar-Ruhman), chief of a 
small kin of the DowSan clan, 295, 299 

Ruins inhabited by spirits, 414—416 

Rumejzan at-Tamimi, 476, 477 

Rumex lacerus, Balb. See Hamsis 

Rumha, a girl, 273 

Rimi, Eben, Christian merchant, 194 

Rumman, Eben, hero of the Weld ‘Ali, 557 

Al-Rurab (e9), 496, 648, 650 

Rurab al-Hadali (f7—8), 657 

Rusna, a girl, 224—228 

Russia, Turkish war with, 184 

Al-Rita, unhealthful, 666, 677 


577, 647 


706 


Rite (Salsola lancifolia, Boiss.; perennial 
with small prickly leaves and small, pink- 
ish flowers), 338, 600 

Ar-Rwaf (s9—10), 227, 228 

Ar-Rwala, chiefs of, 51; recognized as true 
bedw, xiii, 45; subject themselves readily 
to Allah’s will, 86 

Ar-Rwésdat (neighborhood of the ar-RwéSed 
valleys, g—h8—9), 600, 637 

Ar-RwéSed (g—h8—9), 566, 650 

Al-Rwéta (or Rwéta Gerad, m9), 88 


S. Abbreviation for Seib. See proper name 

As-Sa‘ad, kin of the ‘Umir, 644 

Sa‘ada, Tell (h7), 657 

As-Saba‘, Sbaht (SM ¢5), 652 

Sabbah, Eben, ruling house of al-Kwejt, 46, 

Sabel an-Nusejri, 116, 117 [635 

Sabr 4l Murabbat of the Rwala, 409 

Sabr eben SAajer, 445 

Sabri, bird, 40 

Sabir, camel riders who ward off attacks 
of the captured herds’ owners, 105 

Sacrifice, “azire ~ offered by the leader with- 
in three days after his return from the 
raid, 539; before the Abu-d-Dhtr in honor 
of Allah, 574; by a boy who brought back 
booty from the first raid, 539; by robbers 
at Turki eben Mhejd’s grave, 419,» 4205 
circumcision, 245; common offered by 
sons who do not divide the inherited estate, 
664; few drops of coffee poured on the 
ground as a sacrifice for SAadri, 102; for a 
sick man, 668; hbdta for the dead towards 
the evening of the third day, 671, 672; 
hbdta enables the body to return to its 
grave, 674; on a grave, 182; temitma for 
a child on the gahijje feast, 244; to the 
memory of the dead, gahijje, 184, 247, 634, 
665, 672; to a seer’s ancestor, 402; wedding, 
228, 229 

Sacrificed animal’s blood besmeared on the 
humps and necks of the riding camels, 539 

Sa‘da, Good Luck, a mare’s name, 383 

Saddle bag, hurg, 149; mezhebe or mezwede, 
in which food is carried on the journey, 308 

Sadha, Lioness, a mare’s name, 383 

Sadri first boiled coffee, 102 

Sa‘din, Al, ruling house of the Muntifez, 
319, 320 

Sa‘din al-ASkar, 557, 618—621, 626, 628, 630, 

Sa‘din eben Me‘éSel, 446 [635 

Sa‘éla, a camel’s name, 335 

Sa°éle, bird, 40 

Sa‘fa, a camel’s name, 335 

Safety is guaranteed by a returned salu- 
tation, 455 

Saffdra, bird, 40 

As-Safha, appellation of the Hwétat, Sara- 
rat, and Beni ‘Atijje territory, 610, 614 

Sager ar-Rafadi, 636 

Sagar, 288, 289 

Saha, camel herds of the Aslam, 567 

Sahhim (Gagea reticulata, Pall.; small bulb- 
ous herb with linear leaves and a single 
yellow flower), 95 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


Sahla, a camel’s name, 335 

As-Sahna, creek, 168 

Sahr, Beni (j—14), 46, 116, 117, 239, 898, 415, 
471, 491, 498, 570, 584, 6083—606, 613, 615, 617, 
618, 657 

As-Sa‘i, Darb (e7, e—f14), 420 

Sa‘id, kin of the Rhama clan of the Kmusa, 
427, 651 

Saints, worship of » unknown, 418 

Sajer eben Farag, 445 

Sajjah eben Glejdan, recognized seer, 402 

Sajjah eben Glejdan eben Saleh eben Zeri eben 
Mesreb, 48 

Sak al-Herr, 645 

Sakkar al-Kubejsi, 274, 275 

Sakr Al (or eben) Mesreb, 402, 648, 644, 647—649, 
653—655, 657—661 

Salaf, troop of warriors riding at the head 
of a migrating tribe, 76, 107, 162, 255 

Salamja (c6), 178, 179, 658 

Sa‘lan, a Mur‘azi, founder of the ruling house 
of Eben Sa‘lan, 51, 52 

Sa‘lan, Eben, ruling house of the Rwala, 50, 
52, 57, 136, 170, 171, 262, 268, 288, 449, 525, 
526, 582, 535, 555, 563, 577—580, 588, 589, 590, 
600 —608, 607, 618, 619, 622, 624, 625, 629, 630, 
636; decides in questions of war and peace, 
427 

Saleh eben Zeri eben Mesreb, 48 

Salem, Al, wholesale firm trading in camels, 
279 

Salem eben Hmid eben ‘Obejd eben Raiid, 
805, 306 

Salfiz eben Fares 4l Garba’, 274, 275 

Salha bint an-N@ri eben Sa‘lan, 251 

Salsola inermis, Forsk. See Kazkdz 

Salsola lancifolia, Boiss. See Rite 

Salt, 94 

Salutation, 455—457; first given by the visitor, 
142; if repeated, assures safety to fleeing 
enemy, 529, 530; of a bride and bridegroom, 
229 

AS-Sama (i7—k10), 25, 285, 286, 636 

Samakmak, bird, 40 

Saman al-Hajjat, 641 

Samat al-WAdi (or Wadi Sirhan, i5—19), 641 

As-Samawa, settlement in Irak, 210, 502, 503, 632 

Sammar, tribe, in Mesopotamia, 239, 275, 3038, 
316, 317, 551, 566, 567, 641, 652, 653, 660; in. 
Negd, 52—54, 56, 57, 83, 116, 158, 187, 195, 205, 
210, 304, 309, 322, 362, 419, 422, 439, 441, 469, 
506, 517, 579, 633, 648 

Sammar 4l Garba’, 303, 491 

Sammari, member of the Sammar, 5 53, 54,211, 
319, 441, 640 . 

Sammit eben ‘Ama, 499 

Sammit eben Mhejd, 649 

Sammine, bird, 40, 

Sanad ar-Rab‘i, Sannin war chief, 518 

Sand drifts, 172, 175; along the borders of 
stony dells, 185 

Sand grouse. See Kata’ 

Sand storm, 19, 567, 614 

Sankar, negro of Hajel, 304—306 

Sa‘rdn (Suaeda, Forsk.; shrub with prickly 
leaves and small, greenish flowers), 338 


INDEX TOT 


A&-Sararat, tribe (16—q8), 135, 136, 165, 170, 
171, 278, 282,290, 291, 294, 298, 832, 367, 368, 
441, 453, 588, 603—605, 610, 613, 614, 640, 
646, 660 

Sarari, member of the Sararat, 152, 328, 441, 

As-Sardijje, tribe, 126, 532 [474, 487 

Sarha’, a camel’s name, 335 

A&-Sarrabi, a SingAri, 384, 385 

Satiety, eating to, 542 

Satli (or Setel), 142 

Sattam eben Hamad eben Sa‘lan (d. 1904), 46, 
57, 58, 116, 117, 248, 250, 251, 258—255, 430, 
431, 487, 548, 544, 558, 559, 581, 592—597, 
599—603, 605, 613, 616 

Sa‘id, Eben, 46, 279, 305, 505, 542 

Sa‘ad eben ‘Abdal‘aziz eben RaSid (d. 1920), 

Sa‘aid eben an-Niri eben Sa‘lan, 49 [505 

Sd‘°w, bird, 40 

As-Sawwan, Diret, district to the west of the 
Sirhan depression, 291, 292 

As-Sazri (e10), 641, 643, 652 

As-Sbha‘a, xiii, 46, 57, 81, 134, 179—181, 184, 
391, 418, 420, 422, 428, 425, 427, 444, 5383, 534, 
566, 641, 648, 645, 649; battle cry of, 81 

Sbaht. See proper name 

Sbéh (or Sbét, a7), 491 

Sbé‘i, member of the Sha‘a tribe, 81, 449 

Sbejbeh, Turkish commander, 588, 589 

Scabiosa palaestina, L. See Ummu rwejs 

Schoeller, Philipp Alois, xiii 

Scorodosma arabica, Vel. See Mharit 

Scorpion, 43; cure of bites of, 669 

Scorzonera, L. See Mga‘ 

Scorzonera papposa, DC. See Rubahla 

Scout, ‘ajn (pl., ‘wjiin), rider on horseback 
examines country and chooses night quar- 
ters for raiders, 217, 511, 512, 522, 523, 596; 
sabr (pl., sbir), rider on camel examines 
enemy’s camps and herds for raiders, 523, 
596; tulla°, examines the neighborhood of 
a camp to prevent surprise attack, 524 

Seal ring token of authority, 52 

As-Se‘en (b7), 648 

Seers, 400—404; accompany raids, 509; and 
rain, 7; at the bed of a sick man, 668 

Se‘ib. See proper name 

Se‘iban, plural of Se‘ib. See proper name 

Seidlitzia Rosmarinus, Ehrnb. See Sndn 

Sejd at-tas‘a, herbivorous animal, 28 

Sejdaran, 416 

Sejf, a Sammari, 319 

A&S-Sejh Ma‘raf. See Ma‘raf, a3-Sejh 

A&-Sejh Miskin, 31 

As-Sejhed, Tar, (h19), 521, 522 

Self-reliance praised, 477, 478 

Selim, negro, 627, 629, 630 

As-Selka, clan of the ‘Amarat, 85, 636 

Selma (or Salma, r15), 174 

AS-Semalat, inhabitants of the country 
around the Hawran, 615, 660. See also 
Ahl a3-Semal 

Semh (Mesembryanthemum Forskahlei, 
Hochst.; Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum, 
L.; low, sappy annual with green, fleshy 
leaves and small green flowers), 15, 16, 93; 
substitute for wheat, 93 


Senecio coronopifolius, Desf. See Girgir 

A&-Senini (or Umm a&-Senin, 010), 285, 286 

Sentinels behind piles of stones look for enemy, 

A&S-Sera’ (l-m3), 618 [525 

Serahin of the Sbha‘a, 57 

Sera‘i abu Hsejjen, 660, 661 

As-Serdijje. See As-Sardijje 

As-Serim, Umm (g13), 648 

Serk, inner desert, 45, 90, 205, 211, 222, 227, 
397, 422, 522; 575, 588, 675 

Serpents, 42; shed skin of » remedy for eye 
diseases, 42 

Servant, feddwi, 136, 166 

Setata (g18—19), 82, 83 

Setel, rice grown on the lower Euphrates and 
Tigris, 181 

Settlers, 42, 44; act as agents of Bedouin 
chiefs, 214; camp in tents with their herds 
and are called ar-ra‘ijje, 292, 474; ‘‘change 
air’’ in midsummer, 214; despised by Bedouin 
women, 214; division of, 44; have to supply 
the Bedouins, 90; hunt for wealth is the 
root of all troubles among, 479; mistrusted 
by Bedouins, 479; not permitted to marry 
Bedouins, 288; of inner Arabia go to earn 
money in the Hawran, 349; peace with the 
# subject to the Government not concluded, 
504; pay protection tax, 60; spoken of as 
Arabs when living in tents 474; thrive under 
a strong government, 45; use camels in plow- 
ing, hauling, and threshing, 348 

Sfajje, Habra (i10), 223 

Sfak 4l Garba’, 274, 275, 316 

Shaving, 115-117 

Sheep and goats, calling for, 273; cannot en- 
dure long and swift marches, 85 

Sheepskin coat, 120, 121 

Shirt, towb, for men, 118, 119; for men de- 
corated, 249; for women, 122, 123, 144 

Shooting at a target, 132 

Shtr. See Sahr, Beni 

Sib, cross between wolf and hyena, 22 

As-Sib, a place, 643 

Sib, a Sammari, 567 

Sick persons cured by seers, 403 

Sidd al-Herr, 646 

Sidr (species of acacia with long lean boughs) 
inhabited by spirits, 416 

Signals sent from high cones, when attacked, 
543 

Signs. See Omens 

Sth (kind of wormwood), 66, 100, 128, 208, 209; 
considered the worst fuel, 66; wisps of ~ 
used to light fires, 100, 473; smoldering «~ 
used as a remedy, 383, 408 

Siha, a Rwejlijje, 141 

Siha, Cautious, a mare’s name, 383 

Sijab, members of the reigning house of Eben 
Najef, 288, 289 

Singar, Gebel, southwest of Mosul, 196, 197, 458 

Singara, tribe of the Sammar, 157, 158, 210, 
322, 384, 441, 648, 649 

Sins punished by Allah, 674 [659 

Sirhan, tribe, 46, 197, 239, 415, 491, 497, 500, 596 

Sirhan, Wadi (i5—19), 20, 31, 40, 94, 117, 159, 
187, 220, 286, 292, 361, 367, 895, 416, 489, 441 


708 


Sirhani, member of the Sirhan, 46 

Sisymbrium Irio, L. See Harra 

Sisymbrium irioides, Boiss. See Héarra 

Sita bint Sattam eben Sa‘lan, 251—254 

Sita’s brother, Eben Sa‘lan’s war ery, 563; 
sisters of, 627, 628 

A8-Siziz (m—n11), 57 

Skaka (m12), 54, 632, 650 

As-Skar, clan of the ‘AmAarat, 85, 134, 415, 
6387— 639, 646, 650, 651 

Slanderer warned, 288—290 

$la8, hero of the Sa‘lan kin, 589 

$la8 eben Fajez, 617, 618 

Slaves, 276—278; call their master uncle, 
517; dig fireplace, 66; esteemed, 600, 601; 
have among Bedouins their uncles, 83; in 
love with Bedouin women expelled, 82; like 
to make themselves important, 509; mar- 
riage with w» forbidden, 137—139 

Sleep, cause of reproof, 475 ; made possible by 
Allah, 398 

Sleeping person, dressed in dangerous dis- 
tricts, 126; endangered by earthly spirits, 


398, 412; has no soul, 398, 496: must not. 


be killed by an avenger, 496; 

Slejb, 26, 77, 95, 118, 134, 136, 196, 197, 278, 
282, 8328—825, 406, 453, 596, 625, 626, 637, 644, 
648—650, 655, 658, 675; bring failure, 391, 
392; inspect pastures, 77; women believed 
to possess supernatural powers, 406 

Slejman eben MerSed. See Sliman eben Mer- 

Sliman eben MerSed, 418, 534, 535 [Sed 

Slings, boys throw stones from, 256 

Slubi, member of the Slejb, 3283—325, 422, 596, 
644, 645 

As-Slubi, Se‘ib (c12), 650 

Slubijje, woman of the Slejb tribe, 406, 407 

As-Slubijje, Habra (f10), 642 

Smejha, The Little Gentle, a mare’s name, 383 

Smejr (or Battah), Eben, ruling house of the 
Weld ‘Ali, 520, 532, 557, 580, 587, 591, 602, 
621, 622; settles disputes pertaining to blood 
vengeance in the Beni Wahab group, 427 

Smejr eben Zejdan, 317 

Smoking pipes, 127,128; carved by Bedouins, 
287; raljtin of cherry-tree twigs, 192; re- 
paired when broken, 129; with a long stem 
used by women, 320 

Snake, bitten person cured by a soothsayer, 
669; bodies in ruins are dwellings of spirits, 
414, 415 

Sndn (Seidlitzia Rosmarinus, Ehrnb.; scented 
subshrub with white branches, greenish 
leaves, and winged fruit), 338; used instead 

Snejdin, a KmAsi, 445, 446 [of soap, 134 

Snow, 17 

Sniine, Al, of the Fed‘an, 645 

Sobot (called nasi, when dry), 338 

Solejman, a Rwejli, 200 

Solomon, son of David, circle of » protects 
from beasts of prey, 348 

Soothsayers, 404—406; cure snake-bitten per- 
sons, 669; learn from members of the Ri- 
fa‘ijje Order, 669; know hidden things, 404. 
See also Seers 

Sorcerers. See Seers 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


Sorghum substitute for wheat, 93 

Soul, is in every living man, 673; is put into 
man by Allah, 673; leaves sleeping body, 
398; obeys Allah, 669; of a lover dwells in 
that of his sweetheart, 201; originates from 
Allah’s breath, 673; remains not forever in 
human body, 550; returns to Allah on the 
man’s death, 673 

Spear, 132, 133; adorned with ostrich feathers, 
309, 385, 521; adorned with tiny chains, 520; 
adorned with wreath, 617; yielded to a re- 
peating rifle, 517 

Spider, 48 

Spindle, 67 

Spirits, earthly, 411—417; and fog, 18; and 
sandstorm, 19; help sorcerers, 401; must be 
satisfied, 389; settle in sleeping body, 398, 412 

Spreading of garment in court, 428 

Sprenger, A., 57 

Spy of a raid rewarded, 644 

Srajjer eben ‘Emrén of the Mwahib clan of 
the Sha‘a, 422 

A&-Srejfi, subdued by Eben Sa‘lan, 52—56 

A3-Srejfi. See Dlejman a-Srejfi 

A&-Srejfijje (£13), 648 

St. Etienne, revolvers from, 134 

Stachys affinis, Fres. See Lubbéna 

Stachys Musili, Vel. See Lubbéna 

Stars, and rain, 7—9, 13, 14, 225, 226, 298; 
have unfavorable properties to man, 399; 

. indicate direction, 183, 185, 186, 275, 319; 
355, 396; lead astray, 399; pole star is the 
traveler’s safest guide, 275; prevent healing 
of wounds, 668 

Statni tiskarna, Prague, xiv 

Stealing from a fellow tribesman considered 
sin, 86, 449; from a stranger is a proof of 
cunning and strength, 449 

Stéwi, Eben, of the as-Shejm clan of the al- 
‘Amira division of the Kmusa, 427, 497 

Stieks, 127, 542 

Stolen property, protection of, 450, 451 

Stone piles shelter spies, 191 

Stork, 36 

Strangers in the camp, 267—282 

Suaeda, Forsk. See Sa‘raén 

Suaeda vermiculata, Forsk. See Thama 

A8-Subeée (k19), 648 

A8-Subejée (18), 415 

As-Subihi, 600 

As-Su‘én (b7), 648 

Sugar, 179 

As-Suhne (c9), 60, 458, 648, 649 

Sulhan, a Bedouin, 403 

Sultan al-‘Amyri, 575 

Sultan eben Dawi8, 184 

Sultan eben Sa‘lan, 575 

Sultan eben Swejt, chief of the Zefir, 574, 575 

As-Sultani, Darb (b11, ¢10), 645 

Sumarmar, bird, 40 

Sumatra spice, 110 

A&-Sumbul (d6—a9), 658 

Summéan land, 358 

Stingsk4 

Sundog, 7 

Supernatural gifts are inherited, 400 


INDEX 


Supernatural powers of Slejb women, 406, 407 

Supper principal meal, 542 

Surts, 535 [652, 660 

As-Swab (d—el1—12), 274, 275, 419, 596, 647, 

Swab, ‘Aklat (d12), 649 

Swdja, are those who camp on the edge of the 
desert and breed goats and sheep, 44, 45; 
arrange their tents in the form of an 
ellipse, 180; derided by Bedouins, 566; pay 
protection tax to Bedouins, 45 

Swallow, 31, 40 

As-Swalme, clan of al-Mihlef, 57, 436, 606, 636 

Swardi, a Sammari, 319 

Sweet basil thrives at rain water holes, 176 

Sweets cause wounds to fester, 668 

As-Swejbat, Se‘iban (beginnings of the as- 
Swab valley), 648, 660 

As-Swejda, 535, 536 

As-Swejf (j14), 621 

A3-Swejhet (112), 646 

Swejt, Eben, ruling house of the Zefir, 575-577 

Swér (112), 681, 632, 650, 653, 654 

Sweétat, nickname of Eben Swejt, 577 

Sword, 133; or saber covered with gray and 
dark strips and patches, 85 

Syria, al-Bezze in, 367; commander of the 
Turkish garrison in » sent help to Muham- 
mad eben Smejr against the Rwala, 588; 
commercial relations of al-Kasim with, 
112; migration to, 162, 319; Pasha of 
imprisoned an ‘Amarat chief, 315; Persian 
fabrics brought from Irak to, 272, 274; 
travelers from to the Sammar and Kus- 
man territory, 469; Turkish government 
prevents migration to, 519, 521; wealth of, 
191; wheat brought from, 467 


Tafha, a camel’s name, 335 

At-Tajat (k10), 205 

At-Tajef, Eben Bassaém’s house at, 278 

Tajjaha. a camel’s name, 335 

Tajjar, Al (or Eben), ruling house of the Weld 
“Ali, 205, 520; chief judge of the Beni Wa- 
hab, 427; renowned for his protection, 491 

Tajjebt Ism, substituted for topographical 
names of bad omen, 389 

At-Tajjibe (b9—10), 60, 648, 649 

Takla bint Fajez eben Gandal, 58 

Talal eben Fejsal eben Sa‘lan, 58, 584 

Talal eben Haddal, 546, 547 

Tamer eben Sa‘diin, 618—621, 627, 630 

Tamim, Beni, tribe, 477 

TamSa, a camel’s name, 335 

At-Tanadi near Nefi, 181, 182 

Tar. See proper name 

At-Tarafi, kin of ‘the Slejb subject to Eben 
Maleé, 650 

TareS eben Melfi ad-Dahmaii, 84, 326, 502 

Tarfa’, Umm, 646 

Tarhtme, a girl, 536 

Tarse, bird, 39 

aoe tut (Cynomorium coccineum, L. var. Cy- 
nomorium gigunteum, Vel.; parasite with 
root more than two meters long and in- 
numerable yellow and pink flowers form- 
ing a large spike), 95 


709 


Tattooing, 118, 191, 192; arms, 224, 251; cheeks, 
196, 198 

At-Tawil (m—n10), 20, 25, 38, 209, 210 

Tawil al-Fel& (Hermon), 228 

Taxes, raised by an-Ntari eben Sa‘lAn for the 
Turkish Government, 58; surplus divided 
among chiefs, 59. See also Protection tax 

Tebtk (p4—5d), 584 

Tedamre, inhabitants of Tudmor, 658 

Te‘es. See proper name 

Te‘es al-Hadani, 641 

Teeth, add to beauty, 561; kissed, 169, 265, 361, 
534, 554; praised 111, 144, 145, 156, L745 175; 
179, 191, 202, 208, 224,.563 

Tejma, companion on author’s 8 journey to, 152; 
well in, 600; road from al-Gowf to, 286; 
Rwala camp near, 78, 205, 604; Sararat terri- 
tory north of, 583; Waksa south of, 414; 
Weld Slejman camp southeast of, 171 

At-Tejr, Radir (c10), 643 

Tell. See proper name 

Telle, sweetheart of Hamad eben Sa‘lan, 220 

Tent, 61—85; complete required by social 
standing of the kin, 261; disgracing of « 
punished severely, 442; male members sit 
by the dividing partition of, 264; for men, 
coffee only prepared in, 502; kinds of, 72; 
ropes can be accommodated to the strength 
of the wind, 263; sacred precincts of, 441, 
442; small round~, hegra, for married 
couple, 228; small ~, tuzz, 93 

Testimony, false ~ under oath before a court 
punished by Allah, 674; valid, 429 

Teucrium Poliuwm, L. See Ga‘ade 

Thama (Suaeda vermiculata, Forsk.; bushy 
perennial with green fleshy leaves and very 
small flowers), 338 

Thanks for meals, 463; for some service, 360 

Thievery, protection in cases of, 449—451 

Thieves, captured ~ are not to be bound among 
the beni al-‘amm, 47, 450; divest themselves, 
544; fettered when caught, 640; shot dead 
without liability to vengeance, 450, 495, 544 

Thirst, danger for travelers, 95, 654, 655; tor- 
ments animals and people, 55; torments 
travelers, 156; torments young she-camels, 
143 

Tiberias, 228 

Ticks, 36 

Tigris, forms the eastern boundary of the 
“Aneze, 441; monuments erected to a8-Sejh 
Ma‘raf and as-Sitt Zobejde on the right bank 
of, 315; Sammar between the Euphrates and, 
239, 275, 491, 568; Setel or tummen grown on 
the lower, 181 

Tih eben al-‘Asi, 566—568 

At-Tijaha, tribe, 332 

At-Tinf (e9), 496, 582, 584, 648, 650 

Tita, 95 

Tlal, plural of Tell. See proper name 

At-Tnejf, Habra (e9), 496 

Tombstones besmeared by blood of sacrificed 
animals, 418, 420 

Tracks, betray enemy, 607; read by experts, 273 

Trad eben Halaf Al Iden called al-‘Arefa, 
236—238, 637 


710 


Trad eben Sattém, 46, 148, 197, 205, 319, 474 

Trad eben Zeben of the Beni Sahr, 606, 
607 

Traitor, hired » may be killed without fear 
of vengeance, 495; will not escape punish- 
ment, 6138 

Transliteration, xiii, xiv 

Traveler, arrival of » at his host’s, 459, 460; 
ditties of, 457—459 ; does not conceal the po- 
sition of his last host’s camp, 456; journey- 
ing under protection receives back robbed 
property, 440; observes stars, 183, 185, 186; 
safest guideof w isthe pole star, 275; saluta- 
tion of, 455, 456; uncertain about his sup- 
per, 207, 208; welcoming of, 460, 461 

Traveling, before the countenance, 438, 439; 
in the desert easy in the time of plenty, 
646; in a level plain safe and easy, 178; in 
midsummer most fatiguing, 182 

Traveling companion, 440, 441; enjoys special 
privileges, 47, 267, 427; makes journey easy, 
440; must not be fleeing culprit, 440; pru- 
dence needed in selecting, 478 

Treasures guarded by spirits, 414 

Tribal emblem, 571—574 

Tribes, camping by the Euphrates send gifts 
to the DahamSe, 85; despised » pay pro- 
tection tax, 59,60, 136; inequalities among, 
137; related, duties of, 47; united for mu- 
tual protection, 49, 50 & 

Trigonella hamosa, L. See Kurrés 

Truffles, and mushrooms, 15; of the zbejdi 
variety, 323 

Tudmor (c¢8), 60, 422, 658. See also Palmyra 

Tu‘ejme, a girl, 458 

At-Taka, division of the Beni Sahr, 615 

Taman, tribe of the Sammar, 116, 441, 506 

Tumbae injurious, 130 

Tummejr (Erodium bryoniaefolium, Boiss.; 
Erodium ciconium, L.; a species of hem- 
lock stork’s-bill), 95 

Tummen (rice grown on the lower Eu- 
phrates and Tigris), 181 

Tunis in Africa, clouds come from, 5; maid- 
ens from ~ mentioned, 196 

Turcomans help Muhammad eben Smejr 
against the Rwala, 587—589 

Turkey, in 1875 twenty Arabian chiefs im- 
prisoned in, 184 

Turki, Eben (or Mhammad eben Turki), 502 

Turki eben Hmejd eben ‘Arej‘er, 214—216 

Turki eben Mhejd, chief of the Fed‘an, 289, 
419, 420, 516, 593—602, 648, 649; grave of « 
revered by raiders, 419, 420 

Turki eben WaAjel, 641 

Turkijje bint Mhejd, 58, 250, 253, 558, 559, 
598, 595, 603 

Turkish Government, hated by the Sammar 
in Mesopotamia, 275; invited Sattém eben 
Sa‘lan to Constantinople, 603; Muhammad 
eben Smejr devoted to, 588; protected the 
settlers in the seventies, 519; taxes for » ‘ 
58, 59 

Turkish officials distrusted by Rak&an eben 
Hatlén, 184 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


Turkish régime, 58 

Turkish troops, help Muhammad eben Smejr, 
589, 590; occupied al-Hasa’? in 1871, 184; 
prevented the Rwala from entering Syria, 
521 

Turks, assist Prince Al ‘Ali in Hajel, 301, 
303; daughters of # mentioned, 196; fight 
with ~ difficult, 247, 248; imprisoned a chief 
of the “Amarat, 314; not liked by the Rwala, 
589 

Turtle dove, 41 


Umm. See main part of proper name 

Umm sdlem, bird, 41 

Ummu rwejs (Scabiosa palaestina, L.; high 
annual with hairy flower stalks and leaves 
and heads of yellowish flowers; a species 
of scabious), 95 

Al-‘Umir, tribe (e5—d7), 644 

Unchastity, penalties for, 239, 240 

Understanding leads to good counsel, 483 

Unfaithfulness consoled with fights, 185 


Vengeance, 489—503; culprit pursued by 
requests protection, 443, 444; for an eloped 
girl, 138; kin subject to~ seeks refuge in 
another territory, 423; of slaves reaches free 
Bedouins, 278; vow for effectuating  fre- 
quent, 423 

Viper, 42 

Virgin’s violation revenged by death, 495 

Visibility in the desert is great, 514 

Visiting, day set apart for, 155 

Vows, 420—425; for capturing a mare, 528; 
for defeating chief of the enemy, 528 

Vultures. See Nstr 


Al-Wa‘ar (d12), 647 

Al-Wad‘a (112), 653 

Wadi. See proper name 

Al-Wadi (Sirhan), 159, 187, 395 

Wahab, Beni, 280, 427, 580, 581 

Wahhabites, favored by the Fed‘an, 304; helped 
by the Al Mur‘az, 57; support Prince Al 
‘Ali, 303 

Wahif (or Whejf), Al, kin of the Al Mur‘az, 
205 

Waksa (s10), 414 

Wandering dervishes looked after by Bedouins, 
327 

Want, in periods of » Rwala pasture in the 
enemy’s territory, 260; period of » caused 
by irregular rain, 549; years of, 16, 17 

War, camp, mandéh, 54, 533, 534, 540; caused 
by pasturing herds in the enemy’s territory, 
533; ery uttered by warriors before the chief, 
508, 526; declarations of, 504, 506, 614; en- 
dangering the whole tribe is headed by the 
tribal emblem, 571, 574, 605; expedition has 
a leader, 506; helps to conquer new terri- 
tories, 540, 541; necessity to Bedouins, 504; 
stories of the Rwala, 574—632; tents, black 
coffee only prepared in, 540; with regular 
army difficult, 248 

Warka (d11), 648 


INDEX 


Warriors, endangered by their perspiring 
and fatigued mares, 593; fallen in battle 
are allotted wide pastures in Paradise, 589 

Washing rare, 134 

Water, 94; bags, rwdj, 70,71; bags of ante- 
lope skin, 26; bags of large goat of the 
Negd breed, 358; bags, saddle for, 354; beg- 
ged by women for children, 156; brought 
by young men, rwa’, 206; bucket for six 
litters, 359,363; carried by two camels from 
distant well, 287; drawing with delw, 72; 
drawing from a deep well difficult, 343, 347; 
drawing, utensils for, 361, 362; from camel’s 
paunch, 94, 95, 368; given by a mounted 
traveler to one on foot, 457; highly prized 
when scarce, 55; hoist, 175, 339, 361, 862; 
hoist, makadm, arranged when camping 
long at the same well, 247; lack of ~ en- 
dangers travelers, 95; never wasted and 
equally distributed, 94; refused by a trav- 
eler to herdsmen, 457; trough, bahar, 204; 
trough, hawz, 71, 72, 306 

Wazajet ar-Rasasid, 576, 577 

Wazha’, sweetheart of Nimr eben ‘AdwAn, 

Weapons, 131—134 [193 

Weaving, 67, 68 

Wedding, 228—230; gypsies invited for ~ by 
the Fed‘an, 288 

Week of five to nine days, 4 

Weighing of good deeds and sins, 674 

Al-Wejlan (or Al Wejlan), 311, 312 

Weld “Ali, tribe (f5—9, r8—10), 46, 57, 58, 280, 
320, 491, 532, 546, 552, 580, 584, 591, 592, 602, 
659; recognize an-Niari as their head, 506, 

Weld Slejman (or Sliman), tribe (s10—r12), 57, 
170304, 420 

Al-Welde, tribe on the Euphrates, 180 

Wells secured before tents are pitched, 359 

Wheat as food, 90—93; bread sign of well be- 
ing, 175; rare, 467; substituted by sorghum 
or semh, 93 

White flag flown by a grateful enemy in 
honor of his benefactor, 452; when a wrong 
done is set right, 452 

Widow, inheritance of, 663, 664 

Wife, appellations of, 49; choice of ~ limited, 
186; in fear of beating runs away, 235; 
plurality of wives, 230, 231 

Wild swine, brings bad luck, 395; flesh of » 
enjoyed, 395; names of, 28 

Wind, blowing in the faces of warriors is a 
great disadvantage, 543; causes sufferings 
to human beings, 12; comes from Allah, 18; 
directs pitching of tent, 73; kinds of, 12, 13, 
18; protection of traveler against, 470; reg- 
ulation of the access of ~ into the tent, 73 

Witches, 406, 407 

Witness, must be aman of good repute, 428; 
settlement of lawsuits with, 428 

Al-Witre (or al-Wutara), clan of the ‘Ebede, 
239 

Wolf, 21, 22; and man, 21, 22; not injured by 
winds, 12, 13; wailing at different times 
of the day, 163, 201—203; young ostriches 
protected against, 39 


Fela 


Woman, acuteness of, 287, 238; bought by her 
husband is rarely divorced without com- 
pensation, 469; cannot kill a vowed animal, 
421, 422; changeable in love, 175; dress of, 
565; duties of, 231, 232; encourages men to 
fight, 302; fights against the enemy, 622; 
hates cowardly husband, 475, 513; implores 
help of passing riders by an attack on the 
migrating tribe, 541; likes to converse with 
travelers, 456, 457; not harmed by raiders, 
530; pretty » is a good omen, 391; rumaka, 
neither young nor old, 376. See also Married 
woman, Wife 

Wood borer, 48, 53 

Wooing, 13 

Working abroad for wages, 219 

World War, Bedouin rifles before, 131 

Wounded men, treatment of, 668, 669 

Wounds, do not heal when pierced by the rays 
of either the stars or the sun, 399; fester 
by eating sweets, 668; suppurating ~ cured 
by camel’s suet, 97 

Wright, John K., xiv 

Writing, mode of, 112 

Al-Wudijan (d13—j16), 17, 78, 292, 307, 309, 
501, 575, 6388 

Al-Wutara (or al-Witre), clan of the ‘Ebede, 
239 


Yawning, caution at, 399 

Year, division of, 4; seasons of, 7—10 

Yielding one’s rights to a weaker man re- 
garded as praiseworthy, 471 


Za‘al eben ‘Awwad, recognized seer, 402 

Za‘al eben Hmar abu ‘Awwad, 244 

Za‘al eben Razi of the Kmusa, 444—446 

Az-Zab, river in Mesopotamia, 274 

Zabb, lizard, 41, 42 

Za‘ejtel, Rwejli hero, 598 

Zaher, a Kmasi, 482, 433 

Zahra, a Rwejlijje, 210, 211 

Zamrdn (shrub with articulate branches and 
fleshy, needle-shaped leaves; resembles kaz- 
kdz), 388 

Zana Bisr, 46, 440 

Zana Muslim, 46, 57, 440, 602, 
inal camping grounds, 57 

Zari eben Zhej‘an, 502, 503 

Zavoral, Abbot Method, Prague, xiii 

Zbé‘an eben HaSman of the Sirhan, 46 

Zebb ad-dih (Orobanche, L.; leafless, root- 
parasitic plant with thick fleshy root and 
spicate flowers, 95 

Zeben, Al, division of the Beni Sahr, 398, 657 

Zebtin, 119, 249, 584, 555 

Az-Zefir, tribe (118—n20), 
574—577, 619, 656 

Zejd, a Bedouin, 187, 223 

Zejd, kin of the Rwala, 594, 617, 618 

Zejd eben al-Hadi, 568, 570 

Zejd eben Hrejmis, 641 

Zejd eben Swejt, 575 

Zejdan, Eben. See Smejr eben Zejdan 

Zejdan al ‘Awagi, 656 


619, 622; orig- 


52—54, 187, 214, 


712 


Zejdan ar-Rwejli, 361 

Zejramit, member of the Zijarme clan, 308 

Zelib. See proper name 

Az-Zennara, chief of the habdri, 37 

Zeri, Eben (or Blejhan eben Mesreb), 434, 
435, 443 

Zeri eben Mesreb, 48 

Zerjet Abu Gaber, 571 

Al-Zerjitejn (d6), 60, 658 

Az-Zerka (h8—4), 168, 612 

Al-Zidr, Kart (£14), 648 

Zijal (112), 227, 228 


RWALA BEDOUINS 


Az-Zijarme, kin of the ‘Abde of the Sammar, 
302, 307, 308 

Zobejde, as-Sitt (or Zobejdet umm Ga‘far, 
daughter of Ga‘far ibn Abi Ga‘far al-Man- 
str), 314, 315 

Zorrét an-na‘dm (Cleome arabica, L.; green 
subshrub with small yellowish flowers), 95 

Az-Zrejbinat (i7), 595 

Zrejze (Lotus angustissimus, L.; Lotus Ge- 
belia, L.; herb resembling bird’s-foot trefoil), 

Zu‘ejli, an Aslami, 569 [338 

Az-Zujadi from the Beni Hasan tribe, 387 


ERRATA 


p. 58, lines 12-15, should read: HazzA‘°’s wife was Takla, the 

daughter of Chief Fajez eben Gandal, who bore his sons 

Fahad and an-Ntri. His son Muhammad was born of an- 

other mother, After Hazza*’s death Sattam married his widow, 

who later bore him Mi8‘al. — The author’s Arabia Deserta, 
p. 239, line 8, should be correspondingly corrected. 


p. 397, line 10, instead ar-Remte read ad-Dmejte. 


i 


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Sey xe 
he 


Vat, 
ee 
Bate 


astra 


